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Comment
. 2020 Nov:293:113390.
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113390. Epub 2020 Aug 17.

Trends in suicidal ideation over the first three months of COVID-19 lockdowns

William D S Killgore  1 , Sara A Cloonan  2 , Emily C Taylor  2 , Matthew C Allbright  2 , Natalie S Dailey  2
Affiliations
Comment

Trends in suicidal ideation over the first three months of COVID-19 lockdowns

William D S Killgore et al. Psychiatry Res. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

To reduce viral spread during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, most communities across the U.S. engaged in some form of stay-at-home restrictions or lockdowns that limited social interaction and movement outside the home. To determine the effect of these restrictions on suicidal ideation, a total of 3,120 individuals completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at one of three time points from April through June 2020. The percentage of respondents endorsing suicidal ideation was greater with each passing month for those under lockdown or shelter-in-place restrictions due to the novel coronavirus, but remained relatively stable and unchanged for those who reported no such restrictions. Public health policy and routine clinical care need to address the potential for increased suicidal thinking among those experiencing prolonged restrictions of normal social contact.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Percentage of participants endorsing suicidal ideation on item 9 of the the PHQ-9 over the first three months since early COVID-19 lockdown/shelter-in-place restrictions. Left: The percentage of respondents endorsing any suicidal ideation (i.e., scores > 0). Right: The percentage of respondents endorsing moderate to severe suicidal ideation (i.e., scores ≥ 2). Red *p < .0001 for simple effect of month for those under lockdown. Black *p < .0001 lockdown between-group difference in June.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

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