Abstract
Suicide prevention in times of COVID-19 pandemic has become more challenging than ever due to unusual circumstances. The common risk factors identified with regard to suicidal behavior are fear of COVID-19, economic instability, poor access to healthcare facilities, pre-existing psychiatric disorders, and social disconnect. The studies done so far have reported either case studies or have made an effort to understand the risk factors. An understanding of the underlying causal pattern from existing theories, behind these risks, will enable adopting appropriate prevention mechanisms. Hence, this review examines evidence related to risk factors of suicides that occurred during COVID 19 and discusses it in the light of three major theoretical approaches: interpersonal model, stress diathesis model, and cognitive model. The insights obtained from the three viewpoints reveal that perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, stress sensitivity, cognitive errors such as magnification, catastrophic thinking, arbitrary inference, and mind-reading are likely reasons behind these risk factors for suicide. It is suggested that awareness regarding COVID-19 stressors, use of community-based approaches like gatekeeper training, and brief online psychotherapy by using techniques of mindfulness, interpersonal psychotherapy, and cognitive behavior therapy can be useful in reducing suicide risk during COVID-19.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus pandemic is an unimaginable life event that has impacted each and every individual in different ways
Suicide risk factors have been explained by several theoretical viewpoints, but this review focuses on these three paradigms as they offer a broader understanding of the nature of risk factors related to suicides in this unprecedented pandemic
This review is an attempt to establish the theoretical links behind risk factors for suicides during COVID-19
Summary
The novel coronavirus pandemic is an unimaginable life event that has impacted each and every individual in different ways. In absence of proper medical care, individuals with psychiatric disorders may witness a change in activities of daily living, sleep-wake patterns, social rhythms, and heightened emotional reactions [4] Indirectly this pandemic is a precipitating factor for people who have developed mood problems due to an overwhelming crisis. A recent systematic review on self-harm and suicide rates presented an analysis of modeling-based studies that estimated the effect of the pandemic on rise of suicidal cases which ranged from 1 to 145% [14]. The above-mentioned studies do not provide a clear understanding of the underlying causal patterns behind the emergence of risks These risk factors have their origins in various cognitive errors, dysfunctional thinking patterns, traits vulnerability, and interpersonal attributes [15, 16]. The paper summarizes some of the psychological interventions that could help in dealing with suicide risk, some of which have been drawn from model-based approaches that have been used in this review
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