Covid-19 pandemic has increased the incidence of self-inflicted burn injuries

Trend of suicide by self-immolation in a 13-year timeline: was the COVID-19 pandemic a potentially important stressor?

“…While COVID-19 pandemic was proven as a significant cause of psychological distress in the general population, consequences of isolation, anxiety, fear of illness and death, lack of sustenance, lack of access to health care and many other factors that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic played a rather unfavorable role in exacerbating the existing mental illnesses, subsequently leading to the increase of suicide attempts among psychiatric patients by self-immolation ( 9 – 11 , 22 , 23 , 32 – 34 ). Furthermore, these results are consistent with recent findings that reported increased frequency of pre-existing psychiatric illness among admitted patients during the pandemic period due to self-immolation ( 14 , 15 ). Most importantly, survivors of self-inflicted burn injuries face an increased risk of recurrent suicide attempts, due to the side effects of burns such as disfigurement and disability ( 35 ).…”

“…Our study found a significant increase in the median number of cases per year during 2021 compared to the previous periods (7.5 vs. 2). Similar results were reported by Marques et al ( 15 ), with an increase in self-inflicted burn injuries in the pandemic period, from December 2019 to June 2020, at the Burn Unit from University of São Paulo, Brazil. A study by Jackson and colleagues found an increase in 2020 in both the frequency and severity of self-inflicted burn injuries in New South Wales.…”

“…Recent studies have indicated that a lack of physical activity and a higher carbohydrate diet during isolation have led to poorer sleep patterns, indirectly affecting mental health ( 13 ). Finally, the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and frequency of suicidal thoughts, as well as the rise of suicide rates is being examined extensively, but only few have analyzed the incidence of self-immolation during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 14 , 15 ).…”

“…In Europe, middle-aged men with a history of diagnosed psychiatric illness are most likely to choose this method of self-harm. In Asian countries, young, married women most often opt for self-immolation that is usually associated with cultural specificities, religion, and lifestyle ( 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 , 15 – 18 ).…”

“…Self-immolation is an uncommon way of attempting and committing a suicide. The demographic characteristics and risk factors in self-immolation victims vary depending on socioeconomic factors, cultural factors as well as religious beliefs (14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Comprising from 0.4 to 40% of total burn center admissions worldwide, it is accompanied by high mortality of up to 80%, prolonged hospitalizations, frequent complications, as well as serious physical and psychological consequences in surviving patients (14,15,17,18).…”