Suicide prevention and COVID-19: the role of primary care during the pandemic and beyond

Journal article

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it multiple threats to mental wellbeing — the possibility or reality of serious physical illness; complex COVID-related bereavement; lockdowns that cause isolation and inhibit social contact, or that can increase exposure to abuse in the family; caring for children unable to go to school; and precarious employment and redundancy, failing businesses, and financial insecurity. The pandemic has exacerbated the longstanding pressure on resources and underinvestment in both statutory mental health and wider community services. Against this background we outline the current evidence for impact of COVID-19 on self-harm and suicide rates, and we consider how primary care can contribute to suicide prevention during COVID-19 and after the acute crisis has passed

Authors: Mughal, F; House, A; Kapur, N; Webb, RT; Chew-Graham, CA

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Royal College of General Practitioners
• Journal: British Journal of General Practice
• Volume: 71
• Issue: 706
• Pages: 200-201
• Publication date: 2021-04-29
• DOI: 10.3399/bjgp21x715637
• EISSN: 1478-5242
• ISSN: 0960-1643
• Language: English
• Keywords: Pandemic; Medicine; Social isolation; Suicide prevention; Psychiatry; Medical emergency; Psychology; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Harm; Mental health; Infectious disease (medical specialty); Mental illness; Anxiety; Disease; Depression (economics); Poison control