Self-harm during the early period of the COVID-19 Pandemic in England: comparative trend analysis of hospital presentations

Hawton, Keith; Casey, Deborah; Bale, Elizabeth; Brand, Fiona; Ness, Jennifer; Waters, Keith; Kelly, Samantha; Guelayov, Galit

doi:10.1101/2020.11.25.20238030

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…This reduction is similar to the findings of suicides in high-income countries. [20][21][22] Tracking the effects of the pandemic will be key, as emerging evidence from Japan, Vienna, and Puerto Rico suggests that following an initial decline in suicidal behaviour, rates have started to increase. 2,23 The reduction in hospital presentations for selfpoisoning in Sri Lanka during the first few months of the pandemic period could be due to a reduced incidence of self-poisoning as a consequence of increased social integration during times of community-wide disasters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital presentations for self-poisoning during COVID-19 in Sri Lanka: an interrupted time-series analysis

Knipe¹,

Silva²,

Aroos³

et al. 2021

The Lancet Psychiatry

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Background There is widespread concern over the impact of public health measures, such as lockdowns, associated with COVID-19 on mental health, including suicide. High-quality evidence from low-income and middle-income countries, where the burden of suicide and self-harm is greatest, is scarce. We aimed to determine the effect of the pandemic on hospital presentations for self-poisoning.Methods In this interrupted time-series analysis, we established a new self-poisoning register at the tertiary care Teaching Hospital Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, a lower-middle-income country. Using a standard extraction sheet, data were gathered for all patients admitted to the Toxicology Unit with self-poisoning between Jan 1, 2019, and Aug 31, 2020. Only patients classified by the treating clinician as having intentionally self-poisoned were included. Data on date of admission, age or date of birth, sex, and poisoning method were collected. No data on ethnicity were available. We used interrupted time-series analysis to calculate weekly hospital admissions for self-poisoning before (Jan 1, 2019-March 19, 2020) and during (March 20-Aug 31, 2020) the pandemic, overall and by age (age <25 years vs ≥25 years) and sex. Individuals with missing date of admission were excluded from the main analysis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital presentations for self-poisoning during COVID-19 in Sri Lanka: an interrupted time-series analysis

Knipe¹,

Silva²,

Aroos³

et al. 2021

The Lancet Psychiatry

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“…The evidence relating to rates of self-harm is mixed. In Oxford and Derby, there was a decline in hospital presentations for self-harm during the three months of the first lockdown [29], which affected women more than men. Reasons could include a reduction in self-harm at the community level, as well as individuals avoiding presenting to hospital following self-harm.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reasons could include a reduction in self-harm at the community level, as well as individuals avoiding presenting to hospital following self-harm. COVID-19 related factors such as reduced support services and isolation were identified as influences in nearly half of self-harm presentations in Oxford and Derby, particularly in women [29]. Experiences of physical or psychological abuse during the pandemic have also been found to be associated with thoughts and instances of self-harm [30].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health in the UK: A rapid systematic review

Batteux

Taylor

Carter

2021

Preprint

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Background. There is evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of the UK population, but this needs synthesising to guide effective policy recommendations and ensure support is targeted to populations most at risk. We conducted a rapid systematic review of the evidence of the impact of COVID-19 and associated restrictions on the mental health of UK adults, including risk and protective factors. Method. A range of databases were searched to identify eligible studies. Studies were eligible if they reported primary quantitative or qualitative research on the mental health of UK adults between March 2020 and March 2021. Journal publications and pre-prints were included. Reviews, position papers, protocol papers and studies published in languages other than English were excluded. The study authors screened papers for eligibility and included 102 papers in the analysis. Results. The evidence from this review indicates that the mental health of UK adults has declined since the start of the pandemic, with different populations being unequally affected. Populations particularly affected are women, young adults, ethnic minorities, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, people with pre-existing conditions and people who have had COVID-19. Other risk factors include having to isolate and time spent watching pandemic related news. Protective factors include social contact and maintaining healthy behaviours, such as physical activity. Conclusions. Policy should aim to discourage risky behaviours while ensuring support is available for people to engage in protective behaviours. Interventions should be directed towards populations that have been most adversely affected. Addressing the decline in mental health across the UK population since the COVID-19 pandemic will require increasing mental health provision and ensuring equitable access to support.

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“…Mivel a járvány még napjainkban is tombol, és hoszszabb távú hatása alig becsülhető meg pontosan, nem könnyű megjósolni azt sem, hogy ez milyen hatással lesz az öngyilkossági gyakoriságra. Bár számos, vírusfertőzéssel összefüggő tragikus öngyilkosságról számoltak be [2], sem a járvány első időszakában végzett epidemiológiai felmérések [15][16][17][18], sem a klinikai tapasztalatok nem utalnak a járvánnyal összefüggésben a suicid magatartás gyakoribbá válására. Ez nem meglepő, hiszen a nagy társadalmi tragédiák, például háborúk vagy diktatúrák esetében inkább csökkenni szoktak a suicidiumarányszámok.…”

Section: A Pandémia áLtalános Mentálhigiénés Hatásaiunclassified

A COVID–19-pandémia mentálhigiénés következményei. Hogyan tudunk felkészülni a pszichodémiás krízisre?

Osváth

2021

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Összefoglaló. Az elmúlt hónapokban életünket alapvetően megváltoztatta a COVID–19-pandémia, melynek egészségügyi, gazdasági és társadalmi hatásai egyelőre szinte felbecsülhetetlenek. A vírusfertőzés akut következményei mellett egyre több adat bizonyítja a teljes népességre kifejtett hatásait: a pszichológiai distressz, a depressziós és szorongásos tünetek, valamint az addiktív viselkedésformák gyakoriságának növekedését. Az is nagyon fontos kérdés, hogy a globális válsághelyzet hogyan befolyásolja az öngyilkossági arányszámokat. Írásomban az elmúlt időszak legjelentősebb pszichiátriai szakirodalma alapján foglalom össze a vírusfertőzés akut és krónikus hatásait, valamint a járványhelyzet általános és specifikus pszichológiai-pszichopatológiai következményeit, kiemelt figyelmet fordítva a suicidiumrizikóra és a leginkább veszélyeztetett csoportokra. A vizsgálatok arra utalnak, hogy a pandémia következtében kialakuló mentális gondok és a suicid viselkedés egyre fontosabb népegészségügyi problémává válnak. Bár napjainkban még a vírusfertőzöttek gyógyítása és a fertőzés terjedésének lassítása a legfontosabb cél, mindannyiunknak fel kell készülnünk a járvány hosszú távú következményeire. A pandémia várható negatív mentálhigiénés hatásainak megelőzésére és enyhítésére általános és specifikus módszerek kidolgozása és alkalmazása szükséges. Ebben az egészségügyi, mentálhigiénés és közösségi ellátórendszerek mellett szerepet kell vállalniuk a politikai és gazdasági döntéshozóknak, a társadalmi szervezeteknek és a média munkatársainak is. Hatékony együttműködésük kulcsfontosságú az egyéni, közösségi és társadalmi szinten is alkalmazható prevenciós stratégiák megvalósításában, hiszen csak így válik lehetővé a súlyosabb mentálhigiénés problémák járványszerű elterjedésének, a „pszichodémiának” a megelőzése. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(10): 366–374. Summary. In recent months, our lives have been fundamentally changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the health, economic, and social impacts of which are almost invaluable for the time being. In addition to the acute consequences of viral infection, more and more data are proving its effects on the entire population: an increase in the incidence of psychological distress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and addictive behaviours. It is also a very important question, how the global crisis is affecting suicide rates. In my paper, I summarize the acute and chronic effects of viral infection and the general and specific psychological-psychopathological consequences of the epidemic based on the most significant psychiatric literature of the recent period, paying special attention to suicidal risk and the most vulnerable groups. Studies suggest that mental troubles and suicidal behaviour resulting from a pandemic are becoming an increasingly important public health problem. Although the treatment of viral infections and slowing the spread of the infection are still the most important goals today, we all need to be prepared for the long-term consequences of the epidemic. In order to prevent and mitigate the expected negative mental health effects of a pandemic, it is necessary to develop and apply general and specific methods. In addition to health care, mental health and community care systems, political and economic decision-makers, civil society organizations and the media must also play a role. Their effective cooperation is key to the implementation of prevention strategies that can be applied at the individual, community and social levels, as this is the only way to prevent the epidemic spread of more serious mental health problems, the “psychodemia”. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(10): 366–374.

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Self-harm during the early period of the COVID-19 Pandemic in England: comparative trend analysis of hospital presentations

Cited by 6 publications

References 16 publications

Hospital presentations for self-poisoning during COVID-19 in Sri Lanka: an interrupted time-series analysis

Hospital presentations for self-poisoning during COVID-19 in Sri Lanka: an interrupted time-series analysis

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult mental health in the UK: A rapid systematic review

A COVID–19-pandémia mentálhigiénés következményei. Hogyan tudunk felkészülni a pszichodémiás krízisre?

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