Abuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

Iob, Eleonora; Steptoe, Andrew; Fancourt, Daisy

doi:10.1192/bjp.2020.130

Cited by 277 publications

(300 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(14 reference statements)

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“…These increases were greater in the younger age groups, and for women. This pattern of results has been replicated by other studies that occurred in the early phase of the pandemic [e.g., (10)(11)(12)] and have been extended to show high levels of thoughts of self-harm and suicide in the first month of the lockdown in the UK (13) with, again, a higher incidence rate for women.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 75%

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Well-Being and Psychological Distress: Impact Upon a Single Country

et al. 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have affected the psychological well-being and mental health of many people. Data on prevalence rates of mental health problems are needed for mental health service planning. Psychological well-being and prevalence of clinically significant mental distress were measured in a large sample from Wales 11–16 weeks into lockdown and compared to population-based data collected in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected using an online survey disseminated across Wales and open to adults (age 16+) from 9th June to 13th July 2020. Psychological well-being was indexed via the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and psychological distress was indexed via the K10. Data from 12,989 people who took part in this study were compared to that from April 2018 - March 2019, gathered by the National Survey for Wales ( N = 11,922). Well-being showed a large decrease from 2019 levels. Clinically significant psychological distress was found in around 50% of the population (men = 47.4%, women = 58.6%), with around 20% showing “severe” effects (men = 17.0%, women = 20.9%): a 3–4-fold increase in prevalence. Most affected were young people, women, and those in deprived areas. By June-July 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic had dramatic effects on the mental health of people living in Wales (and by implication those in the UK and beyond). The effects are larger than previous reports. This probably reflects that the current data were taken deeper into the lockdown period than previous evaluations. Mental health services need to prepare for this wave of mental health problems with an emphasis on younger adults, women, and in areas of greater deprivation.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 75%

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Well-Being and Psychological Distress: Impact Upon a Single Country

et al. 2020

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“…In the UK, for the most vulnerable, a period of 'social shielding', avoiding face-to-face contact has been advised, 3 4 with twin aims of protecting individuals from infection and avoiding a peak of cases in the most vulnerable, which might overwhelm the health and social care system. Measures to reduce the immediate impact of COVID-19 are likely to have some adverse consequences for the population's health and well-being, [5][6][7][8] leading to a so called 'third wave' of COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality in which detrimental health impacts for people with long-term conditions result from interruptions to care provision and health-seeking behaviours. 9 This is of particular concern given the substantial level of unmet need related to respiratory disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respiratory patient experience of measures to reduce risk of COVID-19: findings from a descriptive cross-sectional UK wide survey

et al. 2020

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ObjectivesTo assess the experience of people with long-term respiratory conditions regarding the impact of measures to reduce risk of COVID-19.DesignAnalysis of data (n=9515) from the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation partnership COVID-19 survey collected online between 1 and 8 April 2020.SettingCommunity.Participants9515 people with self-reported long-term respiratory conditions. 81% female, age ranges from ≤17 years to 80 years and above, from all nations of the UK. Long-term respiratory conditions reported included asthma (83%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (10%), bronchiectasis (4%), interstitial lung disease (2%) and ‘other’ (<1%) (eg, lung cancer and pulmonary endometriosis).Outcome measuresStudy responses related to impacts on key elements of healthcare, as well as practical, psychological and social consequences related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures.Results45% reported disruptions to care, including cancellations of appointments, investigations, pulmonary rehabilitation, treatment and monitoring. Other practical impacts such as difficulty accessing healthcare services for other issues and getting basic necessities such as food were also common. 36% did not use online prescriptions, and 54% had not accessed online inhaler technique videos. Psychosocial impacts including anxiety, loneliness and concerns about personal health and family were prevalent. 81% reported engaging in physical activity. Among the 11% who were smokers, 48% reported they were planning to quit smoking because of COVID-19.ConclusionsCOVID-19 and related social distancing measures are having profound impacts on people with chronic respiratory conditions. Urgent adaptation and signposting of services is required to mitigate the negative health consequences of the COVID-19 response for this group.

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“…Such data also should include information from both the pre-COVID-19 period (to serve as the baseline samples) and the post-COVID-19 period. However, existing studies use readily available and convenient data that could easily generate biased insights: most studies rely on some measures on suicidality rather than suicide mortality [19][20][21][22][23][24] . Some compare suicidal behaviors using snapshot data during the pandemic with a lack of the pre-pandemic baseline samples 19,20,22,23 ; while others compare the whole suicide or suicidality trend before and after the pandemic, which might capture common time trend, seasonality, or temporal time shocks across individuals 21,24,25 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

Tanaka

Okamoto

2020

Preprint

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Background The crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of life. Fear and anxiety about the infections, social isolation derived from the virus-containment measures, and the resulting economic disruption could deteriorate psychological health and exacerbate the suicidal risk. However, evidence linking the COVID-19 pandemic to suicide is limited. Methods We use suicide records from July 2016 to June 2020 covering the entire Japanese population (126 million) in 1,861 administrative units. We used difference-in-differences estimation to assess if the suicide rate changed during the pandemic, comparing suicide rates between 2016-2019 (control group) and 2020 (treatment group). Findings We found that the overall suicide rate declined by 13.5% after the outbreak and subsequent measures (i.e., school closure and the state of emergency). While it is evident that suicide rate dropped across all gender and age groups, the decline is more substantial among males (-11.9%) than females (-6.7%) and among those aged 20-69 years (-12.6%) than those aged below 20 years (-1.6%) and those aged over 70 years (-4.8%). Interpretation The government's generous subsidies and benefits for both households and enterprises and reduced distress from overwork potentially account for the sizable decline in the suicide rate, particularly among male adults. A smaller drop in the suicide rate among the elderly and females suggests that they might be more vulnerable to this pandemic. Fewer school sessions among students might have reduced suicide among children and adolescents.

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Abuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 277 publications

References 6 publications

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Well-Being and Psychological Distress: Impact Upon a Single Country

The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Well-Being and Psychological Distress: Impact Upon a Single Country

Respiratory patient experience of measures to reduce risk of COVID-19: findings from a descriptive cross-sectional UK wide survey

Suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

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