@article{ref1,
title="Factors affecting patients who attempted suicide in the emergency department due to prolonged pandemic of COVID-19",
journal="Clinical and experimental emergency medicine",
year="2023",
author="Kim, Hyunji and Durey, Areum and Kang, Soo and Lee, Won Kyung and Kim, Ji Hye and Han, Seung Baik and Lee, Yu Jin",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: This study examined the characteristics of patients who attempted suicide in the emergency department before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. <br><br>METHODS: We compared data from patients in the emergency department following suicide attempts between January 2018 and December 2021. The patients were categorized into two groups: &quot;pre-COVID-19&quot; and &quot;during COVID-19&quot; pandemic. <br><br>RESULTS: The findings revealed an increasing trend of suicide attempts during the study period. Suicide attempts were reported at 1,107 before the COVID-19 pandemic and 1,356 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients who attempted suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic were younger (38.0±18.5 years vs. 40.7±18.4 years, P<0.01), had a smaller proportion of men (36% vs. 44%, P<0.01), and had fewer medical comorbidities (20.2% vs. 23.6%, P<0.05). The group during the COVID-19 pandemic reported better hygiene conditions (50.5% vs. 40.8%, P<0.01) and lower alcohol consumption (27.7% vs. 37.6%, P<0.01). Patients who attempted suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher rates of use of psychiatric medications and previous suicide attempts. The most common reasons for the suicide attempt were unstable psychiatric disorders (38.8%), poor interpersonal relationships (20.5%), and economic difficulties (14.0%). Drug poisoning (44.1%) was the most common method of suicide attempts. Subgroup analysis with patients who attributed their suicide attempts to COVID-19 revealed a higher level of education (30.8%) and employment status (69.2%), with economic difficulties (61.6%) being the primary cause of suicide attempts. <br><br>CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the prolonged duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on social and economic factors have influenced suicide attempts.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2383-4625",
doi="10.15441/ceem.23.143",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.15441/ceem.23.143"
}