Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysis
Background: Suicides are among the leading causes of death in the world and pose a major public health challenge. Mental health issues intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing an increase in the number of suicides globally. Contributory factors included social isolation, loneliness, unemplo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Industrial Psychiatry Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ipj.ipj_304_24 |
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| author | Kumkum Singh Ravneet Kaur Chittaranjan Behera Yatan P. S. Balhara Ruchika Kaushik |
| author_facet | Kumkum Singh Ravneet Kaur Chittaranjan Behera Yatan P. S. Balhara Ruchika Kaushik |
| author_sort | Kumkum Singh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
Suicides are among the leading causes of death in the world and pose a major public health challenge. Mental health issues intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing an increase in the number of suicides globally. Contributory factors included social isolation, loneliness, unemployment, grief due to loss of family, fear of death, and financial stress.
Aim:
To assess the pattern of suicide deaths following the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to pre-COVID-19 in the South and South-east districts of Delhi.
Materials and Methods:
Pre-COVID-19 suicide data were reviewed from April 2017 to March 2020. We collected data from police inquest papers, medical records, and the evaluation of autopsy reports. Post-COVID-19 data for suicide deaths were collected from April 2020 and March 2023. The close relatives of the deceased were interviewed using a standardized proforma. Data were analyzed using STATA version 16.
Results:
A total of 1435 and 1462 suicide deaths were reported in the pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic period, respectively. Suicide deaths among males were significantly higher in the post-COVID-19 period (P = 0.001). The place of suicide was non-residence in a significantly higher number of suicide deaths during the post-COVID-19 period (P = 0.001), while there was no significant difference in terms of alcohol use (P = 0.249), and physical illness (P = 0.28) during pre- and post-COVID-19 period. The most common cause of death was hanging both in the pre-COVID-19 (93.91%) and post-COVID-19 (95.5%) period.
Conclusion:
There was no significant difference in the number of suicide deaths pre- and post-COVID pandemic. A significantly higher rate among males, non-residence as the place of suicide, and history of psychiatric illness was found in the post-COVID-19 period. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7b930265f2dc4950af63eb3807e4ab4e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0972-6748 0976-2795 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Industrial Psychiatry Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-7b930265f2dc4950af63eb3807e4ab4e2025-01-07T06:45:15ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndustrial Psychiatry Journal0972-67480976-27952024-12-0133239039510.4103/ipj.ipj_304_24Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysisKumkum SinghRavneet KaurChittaranjan BeheraYatan P. S. BalharaRuchika KaushikBackground: Suicides are among the leading causes of death in the world and pose a major public health challenge. Mental health issues intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing an increase in the number of suicides globally. Contributory factors included social isolation, loneliness, unemployment, grief due to loss of family, fear of death, and financial stress. Aim: To assess the pattern of suicide deaths following the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to pre-COVID-19 in the South and South-east districts of Delhi. Materials and Methods: Pre-COVID-19 suicide data were reviewed from April 2017 to March 2020. We collected data from police inquest papers, medical records, and the evaluation of autopsy reports. Post-COVID-19 data for suicide deaths were collected from April 2020 and March 2023. The close relatives of the deceased were interviewed using a standardized proforma. Data were analyzed using STATA version 16. Results: A total of 1435 and 1462 suicide deaths were reported in the pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic period, respectively. Suicide deaths among males were significantly higher in the post-COVID-19 period (P = 0.001). The place of suicide was non-residence in a significantly higher number of suicide deaths during the post-COVID-19 period (P = 0.001), while there was no significant difference in terms of alcohol use (P = 0.249), and physical illness (P = 0.28) during pre- and post-COVID-19 period. The most common cause of death was hanging both in the pre-COVID-19 (93.91%) and post-COVID-19 (95.5%) period. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the number of suicide deaths pre- and post-COVID pandemic. A significantly higher rate among males, non-residence as the place of suicide, and history of psychiatric illness was found in the post-COVID-19 period.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ipj.ipj_304_24covid-19epidemiologymental healthpost covid-19suicide |
| spellingShingle | Kumkum Singh Ravneet Kaur Chittaranjan Behera Yatan P. S. Balhara Ruchika Kaushik Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysis Industrial Psychiatry Journal covid-19 epidemiology mental health post covid-19 suicide |
| title | Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysis |
| title_full | Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysis |
| title_fullStr | Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysis |
| title_short | Suicide deaths in south and south-east districts of Delhi during pre- and post-COVID-19 period - A comparative analysis |
| title_sort | suicide deaths in south and south east districts of delhi during pre and post covid 19 period a comparative analysis |
| topic | covid-19 epidemiology mental health post covid-19 suicide |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/ipj.ipj_304_24 |
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