The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accidental and suicidal drug intake rates, what has the pandemic changed?

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to review the patients admitted to pediatric emergency service with a history of accidental and suicidal drug intake within the first nine months of the pandemic period and the same period a year ago. The study is done retrospectively on patients with a history of accidental and suicidal drug intakes between March-December 2019 and March-December 2020. The study included 360 patients. Of 250 (69.4%) patients admitted in 2019, 163 (65.2%) of them were accidental drug intakes, while 87 (34.8%) were suicidal drug intakes. In 2020, of the 110 (30.6%) patients admitted, 73 (66.4%) of them were accidental drug intakes, while 37 (33.6%) were suicidal drug intakes. The ratio of accidental drug intakes to total patient admissions in 2019 and 2020 was 0.23% and 0.33%, respectively (z=-0.44; p=0.65). The ratio of suicidal drug intakes to total patient admissions in 2019 and 2020 was 0.12% and 0.16%, respectively (z=-0.1956; p=0.84), and an increase in the ratio of suicidal drug intakes was observed during the pandemic. With the pandemic, increased cases of neglect because of accidental drug intake and the increase in suicidal drug intake are worrisome. Protecting and improving the mental health of the society, especially of parents and adolescents, is very important in preventing suicide and child neglect and abuse from reaching dangerous levels in pandemics.