Long COVID-19 and Suicide

Overview

Journal Adv Exp Med Biol

Specialties Biology
General Medicine

Date 2024 Aug 5

PMID 39102189

Authors

Leo Sher

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Suicide is a significant public health problem around the world. More than 90% of individuals who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder, and most persons who attempt suicide also have a psychiatric illness. Depression, anxiety, posttraumatic symptoms, sleep disturbances, decreased energy, and cognitive abnormalities are the most frequently reported psychiatric symptoms of long COVID. All these conditions are associated with suicidal ideation and behavior. Therefore, individuals with long COVID may be at increased risk of suicide. Recent studies of patients with long COVID confirm that individuals with long COVID are at increased suicide risk. It is vital to educate clinicians taking care of long COVID individuals that patients with long COVID may be suicidal, that it is essential to screen patients with long COVID for suicidality, and if needed, suicide prevention interventions should be employed.

References

Ahmedani B, Peterson E, Hu Y, Rossom R, Lynch F, Lu C . Major Physical Health Conditions and Risk of Suicide. Am J Prev Med. 2017; 53(3):308-315. PMC: 5598765. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2017.04.001. View

Akbarialiabad H, Taghrir M, Abdollahi A, Ghahramani N, Kumar M, Paydar S . Long COVID, a comprehensive systematic scoping review. Infection. 2021; 49(6):1163-1186. PMC: 8317481. DOI: 10.1007/s15010-021-01666-x. View

Ceban F, Leber A, Jawad M, Yu M, Lui L, Subramaniapillai M . Registered clinical trials investigating treatment of long COVID: a scoping review and recommendations for research. Infect Dis (Lond). 2022; 54(7):467-477. PMC: 8935463. DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2022.2043560. View

Croft A, Lascelles K, Brand F, Carbonnier A, Gibbons R, Wolfart G . Effects of patient deaths by suicide on clinicians working in mental health: A survey. Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2022; 32(1):245-276. DOI: 10.1111/inm.13080. View

Davis H, Assaf G, McCorkell L, Wei H, Low R, Reem Y . Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact. EClinicalMedicine. 2021; 38:101019. PMC: 8280690. DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101019. View

Efstathiou V, Stefanou M, Demetriou M, Siafakas N, Makris M, Tsivgoulis G . Long COVID and neuropsychiatric manifestations (Review). Exp Ther Med. 2022; 23(5):363. PMC: 9019760. DOI: 10.3892/etm.2022.11290. View

Elman I, Borsook D, Volkow N . Pain and suicidality: insights from reward and addiction neuroscience. Prog Neurobiol. 2013; 109:1-27. PMC: 4827340. DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.06.003. View

Goodman M, Molldrem S, Elliott A, Robertson D, Keiser P . Long COVID and mental health correlates: a new chronic condition fits existing patterns. Health Psychol Behav Med. 2023; 11(1):2164498. PMC: 9833408. DOI: 10.1080/21642850.2022.2164498. View

Johnson E, Lanier W, Merrill R, Crook J, Porucznik C, Rolfs R . Unintentional prescription opioid-related overdose deaths: description of decedents by next of kin or best contact, Utah, 2008-2009. J Gen Intern Med. 2012; 28(4):522-9. PMC: 3599020. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-012-2225-z. View

10.

Jokinen J, Talback M, Feychting M, Ahlbom A, Ljung R . Life expectancy after the first suicide attempt. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2017; 137(4):287-295. DOI: 10.1111/acps.12842. View

11.

Lopez-Castroman J, Jaussent I . Sleep Disturbances and Suicidal Behavior. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2020; 46:211-228. DOI: 10.1007/7854_2020_166. View

12.

Mann J . A current perspective of suicide and attempted suicide. Ann Intern Med. 2002; 136(4):302-11. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-136-4-200202190-00010. View

13.

Midence K, Gregory S, Stanley R . The effects of patient suicide on nursing staff. J Clin Nurs. 1996; 5(2):115-20. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.1996.tb00236.x. View

14.

Nittas V, Gao M, West E, Ballouz T, Menges D, Wulf Hanson S . Long COVID Through a Public Health Lens: An Umbrella Review. Public Health Rev. 2022; 43:1604501. PMC: 8963488. DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2022.1604501. View

15.

O Mahony L, Buwalda T, Blair M, Forde B, Lunjani N, Ambikan A . Impact of Long COVID on health and quality of life. HRB Open Res. 2022; 5:31. PMC: 9440374. DOI: 10.12688/hrbopenres.13516.1. View

16.

Oquendo M, Volkow N . Suicide: A Silent Contributor to Opioid-Overdose Deaths. N Engl J Med. 2018; 378(17):1567-1569. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1801417. View

17.

Samper-Pardo M, Olivan-Blazquez B, Magallon-Botaya R, Mendez-Lopez F, Bartolome-Moreno C, Leon-Herrera S . The emotional well-being of Long COVID patients in relation to their symptoms, social support and stigmatization in social and health services: a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry. 2023; 23(1):68. PMC: 9875186. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-04497-8. View

18.

Sher L . Suicide in men: the time is ripe for active scientific investigations. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2018; 137(4):275-276. DOI: 10.1111/acps.12861. View

19.

Sher L . Resilience as a focus of suicide research and prevention. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2019; 140(2):169-180. DOI: 10.1111/acps.13059. View

20.

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