Changes in child suicide rates and characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic in England

Suicide in young people has risen in many countries over the last 10 years.

The aim of this study was to report any changes, and characteristics of children dying by suicide in England, before, and during the COVID pandemic.

Child deaths from suicide, occurring between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2023 were linked to demographic, death-review and Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data; used to identify mental health disorders and self-harm events. Using Case-Cross Over methodology, we investigated the relative risk of suicide, after recent HES-coded events.

In total there were 498 deaths likely due to suicide, during the 4 year period. Risk of death by suicide was 14.31 (13.08-15.63) per 1,000,000 CYP per year, with little evidence that risk (p = 0.863) or method (p = 0.199) changed over the period. The relationship between deprivation and suicide risk was different by race/ethnicity (both p < 0.001), with decreasing deprivation associated with increasing risk of suicide in white children [IRR 1.12 (1.03-1.21)], and decreasing risk in Asian [IRR 0.52 (0.41-0.65)], Black [IRR 0.31 (0.21-0.44)] and Mixed/Other ethnicity (IRR 0.73 (0.60-0.89) children. Only a recorded diagnosis of self-harm was more common before the death than in the preceding control periods [OR 8.99 (4.27-18.94)].

In England, suicide rates do not appear to be increasing, and the methods of suicide remain static. The role of deprivation and suicide risk appears to be different between race/ethnicity, while a recorded diagnosis of a self-harm events appears to predict suicide in the subsequent month.