Background and ObjectiveMental health outcomes have reportedly worsened in several countries during the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. In the present study we examined whether suicides increased in Greece during the first wave of the pandemic.MethodsWe used daily suicide estimates from a Suicide Observatory in Greece from 2015-2020 and followed three methodologies: A descriptive approach, an interrupted time series analysis, and a differences-in-differences econometric model.ResultsWe did not find any empirical evidence of any increase in suicides during the first wave of Covid-19 and the lockdown in any of the three approaches used.ConclusionsSuicides did not seem to increase during the first wave of covid-19 and lockdown in Greece. However, this does not mean that mental health did not deteriorate, or that we will not observe an increase in suicides during the second wave. Protective factors for Greece during the first wave may include working from home (for those able to tele-work), strong family ties, advertising of a suicide hotline and income support for the unemployed.
In this chapter, both issues of accountability and malpractice in suicide prevention are addressed by the Greek Suicide Prevention Center from the perspective of suicide's foreseeability and the factors and stages that not only the clinician, but also the suicidal patient's environment, and, moreover, the pertinent public health stakeholders, should take into account to be able to respond properly to the suicide risk. According to not only the Center's scientific knowledge but also
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