@article{ref1,
title="SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk of suicidal and self-harm thoughts and behaviour: a systematic review",
journal="Canadian journal of psychiatry, The",
year="2022",
author="Sinyor, Mark and Zaheer, Rabia and Webb, Roger T. and Knipe, Duleeka and Eyles, Emily and Higgins, Julian P. T. and McGuinness, Luke and Schmidt, Lena and Macleod-Hall, Catherine and Dekel, Dana and Gunnell, David and John, Ann",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a complex impact on risks of suicide and non-fatal self-harm worldwide with some evidence of increased risk in specific populations including women, young people, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds. This review aims to systematically address whether SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 disease confer elevated risk directly. <br><br>METHOD: As part of a larger Living Systematic Review examining self-harm and suicide during the pandemic, automated daily searches using a broad list of keywords were performed on a comprehensive set of databases with data from relevant articles published between January 1, 2020 and July 18, 2021. Eligibility criteria for our present review included studies investigating suicide and/or self-harm in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 with or without manifestations of COVID-19 disease with a comparator group who did not have infection or disease. Suicidal and self-harm thoughts and behaviour (STBs) were outcomes of interest. Studies were excluded if they reported data for people who only had potential infection/disease without a confirmed exposure, clinical/molecular diagnosis or self-report of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result. Studies of news reports, treatment studies, and ecological studies examining rates of both SARS-CoV-2 infections and suicide/self-harm rates across a region were also excluded. <br><br>RESULTS: We identified 12 studies examining STBs in nine distinct samples of people with SARS-CoV-2. These studies, which investigated STBs in the general population and in subpopulations, including healthcare workers, generally found positive associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 disease and subsequent suicidal/self-harm thoughts and suicidal/self-harm behaviour. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: This review identified some evidence that infection with SARS-CoV-2 and/or COVID-19 disease may be associated with increased risks for suicidal and self-harm thoughts and behaviours but a causal link cannot be inferred. Further research with longer follow-up periods is required to confirm these findings and to establish whether these associations are causal.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0706-7437",
doi="10.1177/07067437221094552",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/07067437221094552"
}