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. 2024 Sep:339:116015.
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116015. Epub 2024 Jun 25.

Increasing prevalence of self-harm, suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation throughout a three-year period in the context of COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

Anna Giménez-Palomo  1 , Giovanna Fico  1 , Roger Borràs  2 , Maria Sagué-Vilavella  1 , Marta Gómez-Ramiro  3 , Adriana Fortea  4 , Lydia Fortea  5 , Mireia Vázquez  6 , Eduard Vieta  7
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Free article

Increasing prevalence of self-harm, suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation throughout a three-year period in the context of COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

Anna Giménez-Palomo et al. Psychiatry Res. 2024 Sep.
Free article

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on mental health both in the general population and in individuals with preexisting mental disorders. Lockdown, social restrictions, changes in daily habits and limited access to health services led to changes in consultations in mental health services. This study aimed to determine changing trends in psychiatric admissions by the inclusion of adult patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of Hospital Clínic of Barcelona between 2019 and 2021. Acute admissions, social issues and psychiatric diagnoses were compared between years, seasons and considering the interaction between both years and seasons. A total of 13,677 individuals were included in the analysis. An overall reduction in consultations to the ED and a higher proportion of acute admissions was observed in 2020 in context of the COVID-19 outbreak. Increased prevalence of sleeping disorders and substance use disorders was found in 2020. Self-harming behavior, suicidal thoughts and suicidal behavior showed an increasing tendency over time, with their highest rates in 2021. Prevention and management strategies should be considered in order to address increasing needs in mental health care.

Keywords: COVID-19; Emergency department; Self-harming behavior; Substance use disorders; Suicidal thoughts; Suicide attempt.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest AGP has received CME-related honoraria, or consulting fees from Angelini, Janssen-Cilag, Casen Recordati, Rovi, LCN and Lundbeck. AF has received educational support from Janssen-Cilag, Lundbeck and Rovi. EV has received grants and served as consultant, advisor or CME speaker for the following entities: AB-Biotics, AbbVie, Adamed, Angelini, Biogen, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celon Pharma, Compass, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma, Ethypharm, Ferrer, Gedeon Richter, GH Research, Glaxo-Smith Kline, Janssen, Lundbeck, Medincell, Merck, Novartis, Orion Corporation, Organon, Otsuka, Roche, Rovi, Sage, Sanofi-Aventis, Sunovion, Takeda, and Viatris, outside the submitted work. MGR has received funding unrelated to the present work for research projects and/or honoraria as a consultant or speaker from the following entities: Angelini, Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka, ROVI, Sanofi-Aventis and Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation- Instituto de Salud Carlos III. The rest of authors do not report any conflicts of interest.

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