Clin Exp Emerg Med.  2023 Dec;10(4):418-425. 10.15441/ceem.23.143.

Factors affecting patients who attempted suicide in the emergency department due to the prolonged pandemic of COVID-19

• Kim H
• Durey A
• Kang S
• Lee WK
• Kim JH
• Han SB
• Lee YJ

• KMID: 2549882
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15441/ceem.23.143

Abstract

Objective
This study examined the characteristics of patients who attempted suicide in the emergency department before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
We compared data from patients in the emergency department following suicide attempts between January 2018 and December 2021. The patients were categorized into two groups: “pre–COVID-19” and “during COVID-19” pandemic.
Results
The findings revealed an increasing trend of suicide attempts during the study period. Suicide attempts were reported at 1,107 before the COVID-19 pandemic and 1,356 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients who attempted suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic were younger (38.0±18.5 years vs. 40.7±18.4 years, P<0.01), had a smaller proportion of men (36% vs. 44%, P<0.01), and had fewer medical comorbidities (20.2% vs. 23.6%, P<0.05). The group during the COVID-19 pandemic reported better hygiene conditions (50.5% vs. 40.8%, P<0.01) and lower alcohol consumption (27.7% vs. 37.6%, P<0.01). Patients who attempted suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher rates of use of psychiatric medications and previous suicide attempts. The most common reasons for the suicide attempt were unstable psychiatric disorders (38.8%), poor interpersonal relationships (20.5%), and economic difficulties (14.0%). Drug poisoning (44.1%) was the most common method of suicide attempts. Subgroup analysis with patients who attributed their suicide attempts to COVID-19 revealed a higher level of education (30.8%) and employment status (69.2%), with economic difficulties (61.6%) being the primary cause of suicide attempts.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that the prolonged duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on social and economic factors have influenced suicide attempts.

Keyword

Suicide; COVID-19; Economic factors