TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Attempted suicide of two confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in an isolation facility and recommendations to prevent COVID-19 suicides: a case report
JO  - Pan African medical journal
A1  - Nuertey, Benjamin Demah
A1  - Mumuni, Kareem
A1  - Addai, Joyce
A1  - Kunfah, Sheba
A1  - Attibu, Rosemary Ivy
A1  - Acquah, Daniel
A1  - Ekremet, Kwame
A1  - Haidallah, Abdul-Rashid
A1  - Mahama, Ibrahim Baba
A1  - Adjah, David Torgbor
A1  - Damah, Michael
A1  - Abubakari, Braimah Baba
SP  - 245
EP  - 245
VL  - 41
IS  - 
N2  - COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our way of life and continue to exert significant psychological impact. A surge in suicide has been associated with all previous major epidemics and pandemics. The suicide rate associated with COVID-19 pandemic would continue increasing if urgent measures are not put in place. We report two cases of attempted suicide among confirmed COVID-19 patients. The first case is a 30-year-old nurse who attempted suicide in an isolation facility and the second case is a 43-year-old male who travelled with his wife and a trusted friend from Burkina-Faso to Ghana to access haemodialysis care for his wife in a COVID-19 pandemic era. Unfortunately, the couple tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We discussed interventions to prevent suicide in treatment facilities. We recommend psychological assessment and counselling for all COVID-19 patients. We also recommend social interaction among patients in the isolation or treatment centres, and active management of COVID-19 related stigma and misinformation. Screening for means of suicide should be conducted in treatment facilities. Pre-test and post-test counselling are essential interventions. Also, telemedicine, telephone calls, computer assisted psychotherapy, mobile applications, self-guided digital interventions have been identified as effective tools for administering psychotherapeutic interventions to COVID-19 patients particularly in instances where face-to-face may not be possible.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1937-8688
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2022.41.245.29660
ID  - ref1
ER  -