Suicidal Ideation and Behaviour in the Frame of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experience of Five Emergency Departments in Lombardy

Suicide is a global phenomenon, with more than 700,000 people worldwide taking their own life yearly. Both natural and human-made disaster may have a detrimental effect on suicidal behaviors both in the short-term and in the long-term. Many studies focused on the acute impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidality. The aim of the study was to analyze demographic and clinical features of subjects accessing the emergency rooms for suicidality during the second epidemic wave of COVID-19 in five emergency departments in Lombardy (Italy). A retrospective chart review was conducted in the five emergency departments for the period 4 June – 31 December 2020, and during the same time lapse in 2019. For all subjects accessing for suicidality, socio-demographic and clinical data were collected and compared between the two years. No differences between the two years were found for sex, triage priority level, history of substance abuse, factor triggering suicidality and discharge diagnosis. During 2020 a greater proportion of subjects did not show any previous mental disorder, however, more subjects were already taking anxiolytic medications before the admission. Among a range of possible risk factors, attempted suicide, depression diagnosis and taking medications before the admission were found to be predictor of admission to psychiatric inpatient units. Characterizing subjects prone to suicidality during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, our study provides hints for mid-term causes of suicidality and possible preventive measures that could be helpful in the course and after massive infectious outbreaks.