Suicide and self-harm in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A U.S. virtual pediatric systems, LLC, database study of PICU admissions, 2016-2021

Objectives: To characterize the epidemiology of suicide and self-harm among adolescents admitted to PICUs during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Design: Descriptive analysis of a large, multicenter, quality-controlled database (Virtual Pediatric Systems [VPS]), and of a national public health dataset (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web-based Wide-ranging ONline […]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on calls to a national suicide prevention hotline in Taiwan: An analysis of time trend and characteristics of calls

We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on call volumes and call characteristics using data from a national crisis helpline. Data were extracted for 215,066 calls to Taiwan’s national suicide prevention hotline (January 2018–May 2020). We used negative binomial regression to investigate changes in the weekly number of calls during the early period of […]

Mining voices from self-expressed messages on social-media: Diagnostics of mental distress during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on mankind, causing physical suffering and deaths across the globe. Even those who have not contracted the virus have experienced its far-reaching impacts, particularly on their mental health. The increased incidences of psychological problems, anxiety associated with the infection, social restrictions, economic downturn, etc., are likely to […]

Religious commitment and intent to die by suicide during the pandemic

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10–34-year-olds in the U.S. It is vital to identify protective factors that promote resilience in a suicide crisis. Background: This study explored the contributions of religious commitment (RC) and religious service attendance to decreased suicide intent in 18–34-year-olds. Possible moderators were investigated, including church-based social support, pandemic-related […]

Perceived impact of COVID-19 among callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Background: Research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic caused increases in psychological distress and suicidal ideation. Aims: To describe the ways suicidal callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) perceived COVID-19 to have impacted them and assess whether these callers perceived COVID-19-related stress as contributing to their suicidal thoughts. Method: Telephone interviews were conducted with 412 suicidal callers to 12 […]

Understanding the mental health of Canadians through COVID-19 and beyond: Poll #17

Poll 17 indicates that financial stressors are having an alarming impact on the mental health of struggling Canadians. The data demonstrates that financial concerns remain a major factor in negative mental health among Canadians, as well as the following major findings: 39% of respondents feel economic issues are impacting their mental health. Suicide ideation among […]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harm and self-harm/suicide ideation: Population-wide data linkage study and time series analysis

Background The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns were predicted to have a major impact on suicidal behaviour, including self-harm. However, current studies have produced contradictory findings with limited trend data. Aims Nine years of linked individual-level administrative data were utilised to examine changes in hospital-presenting self-harm and ideation (thoughts of self-harm or suicide) before and […]

Hospital admissions due to suicide attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic, a 3-year longitudinal study

The appearance of the SARS CoV-2 virus and the associated COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with the onset of mental disorders in healthy people and the worsening in those with pre-existing mental conditions. One of the areas that has raised the greatest concern is that of suicidality. Most of the published studies have been carried […]

A trauma-informed approach to suicide prevention for the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have questioned how the devastation of the pandemic might impact suicide rates. While initial evidence on suicide rates during the early stages of the pandemic is mixed, there are signs we should still remain vigilant. One way of conceptualizing the long-term effects of the pandemic is as a source of […]

Suicide rates during and after the first COVID-19 lockdown in Germany in 2020

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and of measures implemented to curb the spread of the virus on suicidal behavior has been investigated in different regions of the world, but does not yet allow to draw conclusions for Germany. Especially lockdowns might have effects on suicide rates via impact on mental disorders, changes in the […]

Suicide attempts in French Polynesia during the era of COVID-19: A prospective analysis over three years

Background Past studies in French Polynesia have identified suicide as a significant concern, with a measured annual incidence of 79.4 attempts per 100,000 population during 2008–2010. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a monitoring system was established to track and investigate suicide attempts (SA). Methods A prospective study was conducted between April 2020 and March […]

Suicidality and protective factors among sexual and gender minority youth and adults in Canada: A cross‑sectional, population‑based study

Background Sexual and gender minority populations experience elevated risks for suicidality. This study aimed to assess prevalence and disparities in non-fatal suicidality and potential protective factors related to social support and health care access among sexual and gender minority youth and adults and their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts in Canada. The second objective was to […]

Suicidal ideation among Canadian adults during the COVID‑19 pandemic: The role of psychosocial factors and substance use behaviours

Background Suicide is one of the most important and increasing public health agenda around the world. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns have been raised about the potential adverse impacts of the pandemic on suicide-related outcomes. The main objective of this study was to examine the association of psychosocial risk factors (mental health illnesses and social […]

Self-harm among youth during the first 28 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: A population-based study

Background: Youth have reported worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to evaluate rates of pediatric acute care visits for self-harm during the pandemic according to age, sex and mental health service use. Methods: We conducted a population-based, repeated cross-sectional study using linked health administrative data sets to measure monthly rates of emergency department visits […]

Relationship between self-esteem and suicidal ideation before and during COVID-19 in a non-clinical sample: Mediating effects of psychological distress and hopelessness

Introduction: Several studies have highlighted the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on suicide. Accordingly, investigating the risk factors of suicide during this crisis is important. Based on the escape theory of suicide, the current study examined the serial mediating roles of psychological distress and hopelessness in the relationship between self-esteem and suicidal ideation. […]

Preventable losses: Threatening rise in suicides during the pandemic (IN: S. Pachauri & A. Pachauri (Eds.), Global Perspectives of COVID-19 Pandemic on Health, Education, and Role of Media

From being a public health emergency to becoming one of the worst humanitarian crises of the twenty-first century, the COVID-19 pandemic has unraveled the very fabric of human lifestyles, with mental health at the core of its concerns. Now more than ever, suicide has become a serious public health problem worldwide. Studies published after the […]

Impact of emotional state and suicidal intentions on suicide attempts among Korean adolescents with household financial difficulties following the outbreak of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study

The recent prolonged coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has brought an economic crisis to various households, leading to negative mental health such as depression, anxiety, traumatic distress, and suicide risk among adolescents. Adolescents with household financial difficulties due to the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic show high suicidal tendencies and attempts such as suicidal ideation and plans, their suicidal […]

A latent class analysis of mental health severity and alcohol consumption: Associations with COVID-19 related quarantining, isolation, suicidal ideations, and physical activity

The present study examined latent class cluster group patterns based on measures of depression and anxiety symptom severity and alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothesized correlates with latent class cluster groups including quarantining, self-isolation, suicidal ideations, sitting hours per day, and physical activity (vigorous intensity exercise in minutes per week) were examined. The delimited […]

Identifying the bridge between anxiety response to COVID-19 and depression symptoms in general population: A network analysis

Background: Previous studies have suggested links between anxiety response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and depression symptoms in general population. However, a symptom-level investigation has not been reported. Objective: This study aimed to use network analysis to identify central symptoms and bridge symptoms that link COVID-19 anxiety and depression. Methods: Data from 1788 participants were analyzed. Coronavirus anxiety […]

Identifying high-risk individuals for suicide during COVID-19 pandemic: Prevention and intervention

Background: The mental health outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) might be hazardous and may evoke a tsunami of mental illness. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has profound psychological and social effects. It has been expected that the mental illnesses and suicide rates may rise not only due to the suffering […]

Suicide trends in Jordan in correlation with the COVID-19 Pandemic: A forensic medicine perspective

Background: This study aimed to examine the suicide trends among Jordanians who died by suicide before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and assess their correlation with demographic data, including gender, age, marital status, and the method used for suicide, from a forensic medicine perspective. Methodology: This was a retrospective, observational, autopsy-based study. […]

The use of analgesics for intentional self-poisoning: Trends in U.S. poison center data

In the U.S., intentional self-poisonings with analgesics that are available without a prescription increased from 2000 to 2018. Given concerns regarding mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined and compared trends in pediatric and adult intentional self-poisoning with acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen from 2016 to 2021 using the National Poison Data System […]

Providing crisis care in a pandemic: A virtual based crisis stabilization unit

Background: Winnipeg, Canada operates a 16-bed subacute unit, the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), for voluntary patients in crisis not requiring hospital admission. The virtual CSU (vCSU) launched in March 2020 as an adjunct to the in-person CSU during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing the same resources virtually, allowing patients to remain at home. Methods: Program data […]