The impact of COVID-19 on suicidal ideation and alcohol presentations to emergency departments in a large healthcare system

Smalley, Courtney M.; Malone, Donald A.; Meldon, Stephen W.; Borden, Bradford L.; Simon, Erin L.; Muir, McKinsey R.; Fertel, Baruch S.

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2020.05.093

Cited by 57 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…We have no reason to believe that this proportion decreased during the period of lockdown, especially as there was no reduction in the availability of mental health staff in either centre and satellite assessment units were available for a short time in both centres to provide assessment for patients fit to be seen there. Also, our findings are similar to those reported from other hospitals in England ( Chen et al., 2020 ), in Paris during the first four weeks of lockdown ( Pignon et al., 2020 ), in Madrid during the early stages of the pandemic ( Hernandez-Calle et al., 2020 ) and in presentations of individuals with suicidal ideation to emergency departments in the USA ( Smalley et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…A Spanish study from a general hospital Madrid indicated a major reduction in individuals presenting to the emergency department with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in March and April following development of the pandemic ( Hernandez-Calle et al., 2020 ). In the Mid-West of the USA a very marked reduction in presentations to emergency departments for suicidal ideation was identified in the month following ‘stay at home’ orders introduced on March 24 th 2020 compared with the same period in 2019 ( Smalley et al., 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Hawton

Casey

Bale

et al. 2021

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Hawton

Casey

Bale

et al. 2021

Journal of Affective Disorders

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“…We have no reason to believe that this proportion decreased during the period of lockdown, although there was some reduction in the availability of mental health staff in one centre. Also, our findings are similar to those being reported anecdotally from other hospitals in England, in Paris during the first four weeks of lockdown (Pignon et al, 2020), in Madrid during the early stages of the pandemic (Hernandez-Calle et al, 2020) and in presentations of individuals with suicidal ideation to emergency departments in the USA (Smalley et al, 2020).…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 91%

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

Hawton

Casey

Bale

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures necessary to address it may have major effects on mental health, including on self-harm. We have used well-established monitoring systems in two hospitals in England to investigate trends in self-harm presentations to hospitals during the early period of the pandemic.MethodData collected in Oxford and Derby on patients aged 18 years and over who received a psychosocial assessment after presenting to the emergency departments following self-harm were used to compare trends during the three-month period following lockdown in the UK (23rd March 2020) to the period preceding lockdown and the equivalent period in 2019.ResultsDuring the 12 weeks following introduction of lockdown restrictions there was a large reduction in the number of self-harm presentations to hospitals by individuals aged 18 years and over compared to the pre-lockdown weeks in 2020 (mean weekly reduction of 13.5 (95% CI 5.6 - 21.4) and the equivalent period in 2019 (mean weekly reduction of 18.0 (95% CI 13.9 - 22.1). The reduction was greater in females than males, occurred in all age groups, with a larger reduction in presentations following self-poisoning than self-injury.ConclusionsA substantial decline in hospital presentations for self-harm occurred during the three months following the introduction of lockdown restrictions. Reasons could include a reduction in self-harm at the community level and individuals avoiding presenting to hospital following self-harm. Longer-term monitoring of self-harm behaviour during the pandemic is essential, together with efforts to encourage help-seeking and the modification of care provision.

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“…Unfortunately, the U.S. healthcare system is already overwhelmed due to COVID-19 [ 32 ]. Yet a review of emergency department (ED) visits in a large Midwest U.S. healthcare system found that the number of alcohol-related complaints, as a percentage of total behavioral health ED visits, increased from 28.2% to 33.5% [ 33 ]. The increase in alcohol consumption observed in this study is concerning as the already strained U.S. healthcare system may not be able to continue responding to people who have alcohol-related emergencies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of US Adults

Grossman

Benjamin‐Neelon

Sonnenschein

2020

IJERPH

302

237

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Emerging but limited evidence suggests that alcohol consumption has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed: (1) whether drinking behaviors changed during the pandemic; and, (2) how those changes were impacted by COVID-19-related stress. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with a convenience sample of U.S. adults over 21 years in May 2020. We conducted adjusted linear regressions to assess COVID-19 stress and alcohol consumption, adjusting for gender, race, ethnicity, age, and household income. A total of 832 responded: 84% female, 85% White, and 72% ages 26–49. Participants reported consuming 26.8 alcohol drinks on 12.2 of the past 30 days. One-third of participants (34.1%) reported binge drinking and 7.0% reported extreme binge drinking. Participants who experienced COVID-19-related stress (versus not) reported consuming more drinks (β = 4.7; CI (0.2, 9.1); p = 0.040) and a greater number of days drinking (β = 2.4; CI (0.6, 4.1); p = 0.007). Additionally, 60% reported increased drinking but 13% reported decreased drinking, compared to pre-COVID-19. Reasons for increased drinking included increased stress (45.7%), increased alcohol availability (34.4%), and boredom (30.1%). Participants who reported being stressed by the pandemic consumed more drinks over a greater number of days, which raises concerns from both an individual and public health perspective.

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The impact of COVID-19 on suicidal ideation and alcohol presentations to emergency departments in a large healthcare system

Cited by 57 publications

References 4 publications

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

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

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

Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of US Adults

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