Suicide prevention during COVID-19: identification of groups with reduced presentations to emergency departments

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has altered healthcare-seeking behaviors.
• Emergency department (ED) presentations for suicidal and self-harm incidents have shown reductions.
• It remains unclear if these changes in hospital avoidance disproportionately affect specific demographic groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in help-seeking behaviors for suicidal and self-harm presentations to EDs.
• To determine if hospital avoidance due to COVID-19 impacts all population groups equally.
• To compare pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic trends in ED visits for self-harm and suicidal ideation.

Main Methods:

• A comparative analysis of socio-demographic and clinical data.
• Examined suicidal and self-harm presentations to emergency departments (EDs) in Queensland, Australia.
• Data were compared for two periods: March-August 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and March-August 2020 (since COVID-19 outbreak).

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in ED presentations were observed for Indigenous Australians and individuals with less severe suicidal and self-harm incidents since the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Conversely, there was an increase in presentations among individuals younger than 18 years.
• Fewer presentations for suicidal incidents led to inpatient admissions.

Conclusions:

• The observed shifts in ED attendance patterns for suicidal and self-harm behaviors indicate a need for adaptive healthcare strategies.
• Innovative, community-based care models are essential to prevent suicides during the pandemic.
• Targeted interventions may be required for specific populations experiencing reduced ED access.