It is well known that suicide rates tend to increase in times of crisis and uncertainty.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, people around the world have been exposed to a number of stressors:
- Major changes in everyday routines including work, studies, social connections and leisure activities
- Media coverage of the COVID crisis leading to distortions in the perception of risks
- High work pressure for front-line medical professionals
- Duration and repetition of lockdowns: leading for some to households’ conflicts or violence and for others to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation
- Collateral damages of Covid-19 for those with preexisting health conditions due to a prioritization of the Covid-19 over other diseases
- Unemployment or financial insecurity for a large proportion of individuals
As a consequence, a number of countries have observed in 2020 a deterioration in the mental health of their populations - with a decompensation of previous psychiatric disorders and an increasing number of individuals suffering from depression and anxiety disorders - as well as a higher prevalence of reported thoughts and behaviors of self-harm among people with Covid-19.
It is important to keep in mind that:
1.The risks for suicide are presently increased and can further be impacted by the prolongation of the pandemic and its economic repercussions
2.Triggers for suicide include feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, despair and social isolation
3. Suicide is preventable and each one of us can potentially be confronted with a circumstance where we can make the difference
References:
1. S. Pinto et al. (2020) COVID-19 Suicide Survivors -A Hidden Grieving Population, Front Psychiatry
2. John et al. (2020) Trends in suicide during the covid-19 pandemic, BMJ
