The Impact of COVID-19 on Suicidal Behavior in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Saudi Arabia

Overview

Journal Cureus

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2024 Jul 11

PMID 38989386

Authors

Meshal R Alotaibi

Ibrahim A Alsuwailem

Khalid Alsultan

Khalid S Alwasem

Ziad S AlSaadi

Hatim Assiri

Laila Layqah

Joharah Almubrad

Noura Gammash

Reem Al-Qahtani

Meshal Alaqeel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a global increase in mental health issues, including suicidal behaviors. This study focuses on assessing the impact of the pandemic on the prevalence and characteristics of suicidal behavior at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 580 patients from January 2017 to December 2022, focusing on those aged 18 and above referred for suicide evaluation. Data were collected via chart reviews and analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 25; IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY).

Results: Our study reviewed 580 patient charts, with 555 (95.7%) meeting the inclusion criteria. The majority of participants were in the 18-29 age group (66.7%). We observed an increase in the number of cases undergoing suicide attempt assessment post COVID-19, with 296 incidents (53.3%) from March 2020 to December 2022 (about a year and eight months), compared to 259 incidents (46.7%) from January 2017 to March 2020 (over three years). A significant post-pandemic increase was noted in individuals with secondary education or higher (p = 0.004). No significant changes were found in other demographic variables or in the profiles of individuals with an intention to end life before and after the pandemic.

Conclusion: The study highlights the nuanced impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal behavior in Saudi Arabia, revealing an increased demand for suicide assessments, particularly among educated individuals. However, no corresponding increase was observed in the rate of high-intent suicidal cases or other significant variables. The findings underscore the complexity of factors influencing suicidal behavior during the pandemic and the need for targeted mental health interventions. Future research, ideally supported by a national database, is essential for a comprehensive understanding of suicidal behavior in Saudi Arabia.

References

Vindegaard N, Benros M . COVID-19 pandemic and mental health consequences: Systematic review of the current evidence. Brain Behav Immun. 2020; 89:531-542. PMC: 7260522. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.048. View

Peng P, Hao Y, Liu Y, Chen S, Wang Y, Yang Q . The prevalence and risk factors of mental problems in medical students during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2022; 321:167-181. PMC: 9613786. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.10.040. View

Tanaka T, Okamoto S . Increase in suicide following an initial decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Nat Hum Behav. 2021; 5(2):229-238. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-01042-z. View

Ehlman D, Yard E, Stone D, Jones C, Mack K . Changes in Suicide Rates - United States, 2019 and 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022; 71(8):306-312. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7108a5. View

Gerstner R, Narvaez F, Leske S, Troya M, Analuisa-Aguilar P, Spittal M . Police-reported suicides during the first 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador: A time-series analysis of trends and risk factors until June 2021. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2022; 14:100324. PMC: 9310552. DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100324. View

Arya V, Page A, Spittal M, Dandona R, Vijayakumar L, Munasinghe S . Suicide in India during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Affect Disord. 2022; 307:215-220. PMC: 8983610. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.066. View

Yan Y, Hou J, Li Q, Yu N . Suicide before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023; 20(4). PMC: 9960664. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043346. View

Li S, Wang Y, Xue J, Zhao N, Zhu T . The Impact of COVID-19 Epidemic Declaration on Psychological Consequences: A Study on Active Weibo Users. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(6). PMC: 7143846. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17062032. View

Acharya B, Subedi K, Acharya P, Ghimire S . Association between COVID-19 pandemic and the suicide rates in Nepal. PLoS One. 2022; 17(1):e0262958. PMC: 8786170. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262958. View

10.

Orellana J, de Souza M . Excess suicides in Brazil: Inequalities according to age groups and regions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2022; 68(5):997-1009. DOI: 10.1177/00207640221097826. View

11.

Barr B, Taylor-Robinson D, Scott-Samuel A, Mckee M, Stuckler D . Suicides associated with the 2008-10 economic recession in England: time trend analysis. BMJ. 2012; 345:e5142. PMC: 3419273. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e5142. View

12.

Pierce M, Hope H, Ford T, Hatch S, Hotopf M, John A . Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal probability sample survey of the UK population. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7(10):883-892. PMC: 7373389. DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30308-4. View

13.

Jernigan D . Update: Public Health Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak - United States, February 24, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020; 69(8):216-219. PMC: 7367075. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6908e1. View

14.

Horita N, Moriguchi S . Trends in Suicide in Japan Following the 2019 Coronavirus Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2022; 5(3):e224739. PMC: 8965634. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.4739. View

15.

Larson P, Bergmans R . Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on temporal patterns of mental health and substance abuse related mortality in Michigan: An interrupted time series analysis. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2022; 10:100218. PMC: 8898171. DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100218. View

16.

Sher L . The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide rates. QJM. 2020; 113(10):707-712. PMC: 7313777. DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcaa202. View

17.

Shobhana S, Raviraj K . Global trends of suicidal thought, suicidal ideation, and self-harm during COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Egypt J Forensic Sci. 2022; 12(1):28. PMC: 9166149. DOI: 10.1186/s41935-022-00286-2. View

18.

Ozamiz-Etxebarria N, Dosil-Santamaria M, Picaza-Gorrochategui M, Idoiaga-Mondragon N . Stress, anxiety, and depression levels in the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in a population sample in the northern Spain. Cad Saude Publica. 2020; 36(4):e00054020. DOI: 10.1590/0102-311X00054020. View

19.

Reeves A, Stuckler D, Mckee M, Gunnell D, Chang S, Basu S . Increase in state suicide rates in the USA during economic recession. Lancet. 2012; 380(9856):1813-4. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61910-2. View

20.

Qiu J, Shen B, Zhao M, Wang Z, Xie B, Xu Y . A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. Gen Psychiatr. 2020; 33(2):e100213. PMC: 7061893. DOI: 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213. View