Suicide Mortality and Coronavirus Disease 2019—A Perfect Storm?

Bibliographic Data

ID23324160
AuthorsMark A Reger (0000-0003-3222-9734, University of Washington, corresponding author), Ian H Stanley (0000-0001-5607-5763, Florida State University), Thomas E Joiner (0000-0001-6798-9085, Florida State University)
Year2020
Volume77
Issue11
Pages1093
Publication date2020-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJAMA Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2168-622X • E-ISSN: 2168-6238
PublisherAmerican Medical Association (AMA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1060
PMID32275300
OpenAlexW3016108072
LanguageEN
Citations received160
References cited7

Suicide rates have been rising in the US over the last 2 decades.The latest data available (2018) show the highest age-adjusted suicide rate in the US since 1941. 1 It is within this context that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) struck the US.Concerning disease models have led to historic and unprecedented public health actions to curb the spread of the virus.Remarkable social distancing interventions have been implemented to fundamentally reduce human contact.While these steps are expected to reduce the rate of new infections, the potential for adverse outcomes on suicide risk is high.Actions could be taken to mitigate potential unintended consequences on suicide prevention efforts, which also represent a national public health priority.

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Geography · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Meteorology · Occupational safety and health · Outbreak · Pandemic · Pathology · Poison control · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) · Storm · Suicide prevention · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Virology