Abstract
Because of its impact on social well-being, mental health, and financial security, the COVID-19 health crisis may increase the risk of suicide. This study’s objective was to determine what impact the period of confinement might have had on the incidence of deaths by suicide (DBS) in the Extremadura region (Spain). Cases registered in the Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science (IMLyCFs) from January 2015 to December 2020 were collected. Intra- and interannual comparisons were made of the suicide rates in the periods of confinement (March–June) and postconfinement (July–October) of 2020 with those of the preceding 5 years. After seasonally adjusting the data by means of a time series analysis, rate ratios (RRs) were calculated together with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). There were no significant differences between the suicide rates of 2020 and the mean of the preceding 5 years (RR = 0.94; CI: 0.56–1.55), and neither did any differences seen in the intra-annual analysis from the period of confinement to postconfinement reach statistical significance (RR = 0.74; CI: 0.45–1.20). It is necessary to strengthen vigilance during and after the crisis and ensure that assistance mechanisms are in place to prevent an increase in suicides.
Highlights
People’s health and quality of life are strongly influenced by social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural contexts [1]
The current health crisis deriving from COVID-19 is a life event that seems to be impacting people’s mental health negatively [2,3,4,5,6,7,8], and there are fears that it could increase the risk of deaths by suicide (DBS), as has been the case in other crises [4,5,6,7,8], due to its destructive direct or indirect repercussions on social well-being, mental health, housing, work, and financial security
With regard to the rates of DBS observed in the months of July to October, these differences are not coherent with the results reported for Japan (RR = 1.16; confidence intervals (CI): 1.11–1.21) [35], in which there was a significant 16% increase
Summary
People’s health and quality of life are strongly influenced by social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural contexts [1]. This included the “limitation of persons’ freedom of movement,” which meant that the entire Spanish population remained confined to their homes during the time the state of alarm was in force [25]. These extraordinary measures underwent six continuous extensions until 00:00 h 21 June [26]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
