Youth Suicides in the Second Wave of the Pandemic in Turkiye

Year 2024, Volume: 34 Issue: 1, 83 - 87, 29.02.2024

Elif Benderlioğlu Esra Çöp Funda Kurt Halise Akça Ayla Akca Çağlar Leman Akcan Yıldız

https://doi.org/10.54005/geneltip.1354962

Abstract

Objective: It is widely recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social isolation have significant short- and long-term effects on mental health worldwide. Previous studies have yielded mixed results regarding the short-term impact on mental health during the first wave of the pandemic. This study aims to investigate the influence of the second wave of the pandemic on suicide rates among children and adolescents.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective study recorded cases of self-harm among children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years, who were admitted to our center's pediatric emergency department between November 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021. These cases were compared with those admitted during the same months one year prior, considering similar age groups and diagnoses.
Results: A total of 53 cases were included in our study, with 21 cases occurring before the pandemic and 32 cases during the second wave. While the total number of admissions decreased during the second wave of the pandemic, there was an increase in suicide attempts. Suicide attempts were more prevalent among females, often linked to family or peer-related issues and impulsivity.
Conclusions: The findings of our study highlight the evident long-term adverse effects on mental health during the second wave of the pandemic. To effectively address these consequences in the future, it is crucial to comprehend the devastating long-term impact of the pandemic on mental health.

Keywords

Mental health, Covid-19 pandemic, Suicide, Adolescents, Child

Türkiye’de Pandeminin İkinci Dalgasında Genç İntiharları

Abstract

Amaç: Tüm dünyada etkili olan pandemi COVID -19 ve sosyal izolasyon döneminin ruh sağlığı üzerinde kısa ve uzun vadeli etkileri olduğu bilinmektedir. Yapılan çalışmalarda, pandeminin ilk dalgasında, ruh sağlığına kısa vadeli etkilerle ilgili farklı sonuçlar gösterilmiştir. Bu çalışmada pandeminin ikinci dalgasının çocuk ve ergenlerde intihar oranları üzerindeki etkisi incelenmiştir.
Yöntem: Merkezimizin pediatrik acil servisine 1 Kasım 2020-31 Ocak 2021 tarihleri arasında başvuran, 6-18 yaş aralığında ve kendine zarar verme ile ilişkili tanı kodu alan olgular retrospektif olarak toplanmıştır. Sonuçlar bir yıl önce aynı aylardaki, benzer yaş aralığı ve benzer tanıları alan olgularla karşılaştırılmıştır.
Bulgular: Çalışmamız 21’i pandemi öncesi, 32’si pandemi sonrası olmak üzere toplam 53 olgu ile tamamlandı. Pandeminin ikinci dalgasında hastaneye toplam başvuru sayıları azalırken intihar ilişkili başvurularda artış saptanmıştır. İntihar teşebbüsü daha sıklıkla kadınlarda, ilaç alımı ile, aile ve arkadaş sorunları nedeniyle ve dürtüsel olarak görülmüştür.
Sonuç: Pandeminin ikinci dalgasının mental sağlığa uzun vadeli etkisinin olumsuz yönde olduğunu gördük. Gelecekte harekete geçmek için pandeminin zihinsel sağlık üzerindeki yıkıcı uzun vadeli etkisini anlamak önemlidir.

Keywords

Mental sağlık, Covid 19 pandemisi, İntihar, Ergen, Çocuk

References

• World Health Organization Web site. Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019. Accessed Nov 23, 2023.
• Kliegman RE, St Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22th edition. Elsevier; 2020. pp. 225-228.
• Courtney D, Watson P, Battaglia M, Mulsant BH, Szatmari P. COVID-19 Impacts on Child and Youth Anxiety and Depression: Challenges and Opportunities. Can J Psychiatry. 2020;65(10):688-691.
• Segre G, Campi R, Scarpellini F, Clavenna A, Zanetti M, Cartabia M, et al. Interviewing children: the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on children's perceived psychological distress and changes in routine. BMC Pediatr. 2021;21(1):231.
• World Health Organization Web site. Available at: https://covid19.who.int/region/euro/country/tr. Accessed Nov 23, 2023.
• Official website of the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey. Available at: https://www.meb.gov.tr/uzaktan-egitim-surecinin-detaylari/haber/21990/tr. Accessed Nov 23, 2023.
• Mourouvaye M, Bottemanne H, Bonny G, Fourcade L, Angoulvant F, Cohen JF, et al. Association between suicide behaviours in children and adolescents and the COVID-19 lockdown in Paris, France: a retrospective observational study [published correction appears in Arch Dis Child. 2021; 106(11):e42 ]. 2021;106(9):918-919.
• Chang YH, Chang SS, Hsu CY, Gunnel D. Impact of pandemic on suicide: excess suicides in Taiwan during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic. The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 2020; 81(6): 6887.
• Bastiampillai T, Allison S, Brailey J, Ma M, Chan SK, Looi JC, et al. Pandemics and social cohesion: 1918–1920 influenza pandemic and the reduction in US suicide rates. The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders. 2021; 23(3): 32713.
• Gerstner RMF, Lara-Lara F, Vasconez Viscor G, Jarrin JD, Ortiz-Prado E. Earthquake-related stressors associated with suicidality, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress in adolescents from Muisne after the earthquake 2016 in Ecuador. BMC Psychiatry. 2020; 20(1): 1-9.
• Melhem NM, Brent DA. Debate: The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2021;26(3):274-275.
• Ambrosetti J, Macheret L, Folliet A, Wullschleger A, Amerio A, Aguglia A, et al. Psychiatric emergency admissions during and after COVID-19 lockdown: short-term impact and long-term implications on mental health. BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21(1):465.
• Isumi A, Doi S, Yamaoka Y, Takahashi K, Fujiwara T. Do suicide rates in children and adolescents change during school closure in Japan? The acute effect of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health. Child Abuse Negl. 2020;110(Pt 2):104680.
• Koenig J, Kohls E, Moessner M, Lustig S, Bauer S, Becker K, et al. The impact of COVID-19 related lockdown measures on self-reported psychopathology and health-related quality of life in German adolescents. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023;32(1):113-122.
• Hill RM, Rufino K, Kurian S, Saxena J, Saxena K, Williams L. Suicide Ideation and Attempts in a Pediatric Emergency Department Before and During COVID-19. Pediatrics. 2021;147(3):e2020029280.
• Zhang L, Zhang D, Fang J, Wan Y, Tao F, Sun Y. Assessment of mental health of Chinese primary school students before and after school closing and opening during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2021482.
• Tanaka T, Okamoto S. Increase in suicide following an initial decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Nat Hum Behav. 2021;5(2):229-238.
• Sacco R, Camilleri N, Eberhardt J, Umla-Runge K, Newbury-Birch D. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of mental disorders among children and adolescents in Europe [published online ahead of print, 2022 Dec 30]. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022;1-18.
• Terin H, Açıkel SB, Yılmaz MM, Şenel S. The effects of anxiety about their parents getting COVID-19 infection on children’s mental health. Eur J Pediatr. 2023; 182(1):165-171.
• Selçuk EB, Demir AÇ, Erbay LG, Özcan ÖÖ, Gürer H, Dönmez YE. Anxiety, depression and post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms in adolescents during the COVID‐19 outbreak and associated factors. International journal of clinical practice. 2021; 75(11):e14880.
• Forman-Hoffman V, McClure E, McKeeman J, et al. Screening for Major Depressive Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164:342-349.
• Symum H, Zayas-Castro J. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Pediatric Hospital Visits: Evidence from the State of Florida. Pediatr Rep. 2022;14(1):58-70.
• Feldman MA, King CK, Vitale S, Wood CT, Middleton JC, Skinner AC, et al. The impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with eating disorders: Increased need for medical stabilization and decreased access to care. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2023;56(1):257-62.