Comparison of characteristics of patients who attempted suicide in the emergency room before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

초록

This study examined the characteristics of patients who attempted suicide in the emergency department(ED) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared data from patients in the ED following attempted suicide between January 2018 and December 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups. The findings revealed an increasing trend in suicide attempts during the study period. Patients who attempted suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic were younger (38.0 (±18.5) vs 40.7 (±18.4), 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) such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Patients who attempted suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher rates of psychiatric medication use and previous suicide attempts than those who attempted suicide before the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common reasons for suicide attempts were unstable psychiatric disorders (38.8%), poor interpersonal relationships (20.5%), and economic difficulties (14.0%). Drug ingestion (44.1%) was the most prevalent method of suicide attempts. Subgroup analysis with patients who attributed their suicide attempts to COVID-19 revealed a relatively higher level of education (30.8%) and employment status (69.2%), with economic difficulties (61.6%) being the primary cause of suicide attempts. These findings suggest that the prolonged duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on social and economic factors have influenced suicide attempts.