[burger]

It turns out that economic downturns do not cause large numbers of excess deaths.  During the 08-09 recession, mortality rates in the US actually declined: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/576669311...ion-deaths

Possibly, during recessions.  Not during the Great Depression.  The suicide rate spiked:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...my/279961/

I mentioned suicides in the part of my post you didn't quote.  Overall mortality rates during the Great Depression went down, not up: https://www.pnas.org/content/106/41/17290

Population health did not decline and indeed generally improved during the 4 years of the Great Depression, 1930–1933, with mortality decreasing for almost all ages, and life expectancy increasing by several years in males, females, whites, and nonwhites. For most age groups, mortality tended to peak during years of strong economic expansion (such as 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1936–1937). In contrast, the recessions of 1921, 1930–1933, and 1938 coincided with declines in mortality and gains in life expectancy.

I'm not trying to minimize suicides as a problem.  But overall, recessions don't cause result in more lives lost in the US.

[burger]

It turns out that economic downturns do not cause large numbers of excess deaths.  During the 08-09 recession, mortality rates in the US actually declined: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/576669311...ion-deaths

Possibly, during recessions.  Not during the Great Depression.  The suicide rate spiked:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...my/279961/

I mentioned suicides in the part of my post you didn't quote.  Overall mortality rates during the Great Depression went down, not up: https://www.pnas.org/content/106/41/17290

Population health did not decline and indeed generally improved during the 4 years of the Great Depression, 1930–1933, with mortality decreasing for almost all ages, and life expectancy increasing by several years in males, females, whites, and nonwhites. For most age groups, mortality tended to peak during years of strong economic expansion (such as 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1936–1937). In contrast, the recessions of 1921, 1930–1933, and 1938 coincided with declines in mortality and gains in life expectancy.

I'm not trying to minimize suicides as a problem.  But overall, recessions don't cause result in more lives lost in the US.