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. 2022 Oct 7;19(19):12835.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912835.

Have Deaths of Despair Risen during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Systematic Review

Hania Rahimi-Ardabili  1   2   3 , Xiaoqi Feng  2   3   4 , Phi-Yen Nguyen  2   3   5 , Thomas Astell-Burt  2   4
Affiliations

Have Deaths of Despair Risen during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Systematic Review

Hania Rahimi-Ardabili et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This systematic review synthesized literature on potential impacts of protracted isolation and other disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic on deaths of despair (suicide, overdoses, and drug-related liver diseases). Five electronic databases were searched yielding 70 eligible articles. Extant evidence mostly from high-income countries indicates COVID-19-related disruption may not have influenced suicide rates so far, but there have been reports of increased drug-related and liver disease mortality. Minority groups and women were more vulnerable, indicating the need for stronger equity focus on pandemic recovery and resilience strategies. Further high-quality studies with longer-term follow-up, especially from low-income countries, will inform these strategies.

Keywords: COVID-19; deaths of despair; overdose; suicide; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geographical distribution of articles included. An article that considered 21 countries in their analysis is not considered in this figure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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