Trends in suicide during the covid-19 pandemic

John, Ann; Pirkis, Jane; Gunnell, David; Appleby, Louis; Morrissey, Jacqui

doi:10.1136/bmj.m4352

Cited by 227 publications

(226 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

194

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…18: 44; our translation Also, suicide rates and suicide attempt rates in various countries do not seem to have risen compared to pre-pandemic times e.g. 19,20,21 . Whether these trends will hold in further infection or lockdown phases, remains to be seen.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Mental health problems in the general population during and after the first lockdown phase due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic: Rapid review of multi-wave studies

Richter

Riedel-Heller

Zuercher

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe SARS-Cov-2 pandemic and the lockdown response have increased mental health problems in general populations compared to pre-pandemic times. The course of mental health problems during and after the first lockdown phase has not yet been reviewed.MethodsWe conducted a rapid review of multi-wave studies in general populations with time points during and after the first lockdown phase. Repeated cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included. The main outcome assessed was whether indicators of mental health problems have changed during and after the first lockdown phase. The study was registered with PROSPERO No. CRD42020218640Findings23 studies with 56 indicators were included in the qualitative review. Studies that reported data from pre-pandemic assessments through lockdown indicated an increase in mental health problems. During lockdown no uniform trend could be identified. After lockdown mental health problems decreased slightly.InterpretationAs mental health care utilization indicators and data on suicides do not suggest an increase in demand during the first lockdown phase, we regard the increase in mental health problems as general distress that is to be expected during a global health crisis. Several methodological, pandemic-related, response-related and health policy-related factors need to be considered when trying to gain a broader perspective on the impact of the first wave of the pandemic and the first phase of lockdown on general populations’ mental health.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Mental health problems in the general population during and after the first lockdown phase due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic: Rapid review of multi-wave studies

Richter

Riedel-Heller

Zuercher

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). However, we acknowledge that the present findings apply to the general population and that the impact of lockdown on suicide is likely to differ according to contextual and individual characteristics (John, Pirkis, Gunnell, Appleby, & Morrissey, 2020). One way of understanding the small or non-significant effects of lockdown is people's innate capacity for psychological resilience.…”

Section: Psychologicalmentioning

confidence: 75%

The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns: a review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies and natural experiments

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lockdowns to control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have had profound effects on everyday life worldwide, but their effect on mental health remains unclear because available meta-analyses and reviews rely mostly on cross-sectional studies. We conducted a rapid review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies and natural experiments investigating the relationship between COVID-19 lockdowns and mental health. A total of 25 studies involving 72 004 participants and 58 effect sizes were analyzed. Using a random effects model, we found that lockdowns had small effects on mental health symptoms, g = 0.17, s.e. = 0.05, 95% CI (0.06–0.24), p = 0.001, but the effects on positive psychological functioning, g = −0.12, s.e. = 0.11, 95% CI (−0.33 to 0.09), p = 0.27, were not significant. Multivariate analysis of effect sizes revealed significant and relatively small effect sizes for anxiety and depression, while those for social support, loneliness, general distress, negative affect, and suicide risk were not significant. The results indicated substantial heterogeneity among studies, but meta-regression analyses found no significant moderation effects for mean age, gender, continent, COVID-19 death rate, days of lockdown, publication status or study design. The psychological impact of COVID-19 lockdowns is small in magnitude and highly heterogeneous, suggesting that lockdowns do not have uniformly detrimental effects on mental health and that most people are psychologically resilient to their effects.

show abstract

“…Also, suicide rates and suicide attempt rates in various countries do not seem to have risen compared to pre-pandemic times (e.g. Hernandez-Calle et al, 2020;John et al, 2020;Leske et al, 2020). Whether these trends will hold in further infection or lockdown phases remains to be seen.…”

Section: Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 95%

Mental health problems in the general population during and after the first lockdown phase due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic: rapid review of multi-wave studies

Richter

Riedel‐Heller

Zürcher

2021

Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Trends in suicide during the covid-19 pandemic

Cited by 227 publications

References 17 publications

Mental health problems in the general population during and after the first lockdown phase due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic: Rapid review of multi-wave studies

Mental health problems in the general population during and after the first lockdown phase due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic: Rapid review of multi-wave studies

The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns: a review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies and natural experiments

Mental health problems in the general population during and after the first lockdown phase due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic: rapid review of multi-wave studies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About