Covid pandemic, one in 6 boys have had suicidal thoughts

The Covid pandemic has had a significant impact on young people: in the period of the health emergency, one in 6 boys has had at least one suicidal thought and 1 in 33 has attempted suicidewith a 10% increase in the number of suicides in 2020 compared to 2019. Not only that: cases of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide have also increased compared to the period that preceded the pandemic, with a more pronounced increase in the post- acute health emergency.

They are the results of one research of the University of Turinpublished in the prestigious international scientific journal eClinicalMedicine of the Lancet group, which analyzed the impact of the pandemic on the suicidal phenomenon in young people (which includes a spectrum of behaviors ranging from ideation to attempt, up to suicide, which is the fourth cause of death among boys between 15 and 19 years).

The research evaluated the behavior of boys and girls under the age of 19 during the pandemic, through a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of data published up to the end of July 2022. Data from studies conducted in various countries were collected of the world: approx 70 million boys and girls have been observed in different contextssuch as in schools (through specially formulated questionnaires) or in health facilities.

«Our work represents the first available synthesis of literature on the phenomenon of suicide in young people worldwide following the outbreak of the pandemic», explained researcher Rosanna Irene Comoretto. «In young people with psychiatric vulnerability, a significant increase in the suicidal phenomenon has not been observed in the acute phase of the pandemic. However, since the second half of 2020, we have highlighted a 15% increase in cases of suicidal ideation and a 26% increase in suicidal behaviours».

These results, as explained by Paola Dalmasso, who coordinated the study, “are of great interest for public health as they highlight the global impact of indirect consequences of Covid on the mental health and well-being of young peopleespecially the most vulnerable, and represent a priority to be addressed urgently”.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 700,000 people – one every 40 seconds – die by suicide every year. The most affected age group seems to be that of young people between 15 and 30 years old and, in particular, adolescence, a period of imbalance between a greater sensitivity to motivational cues and immature cognitive control.

L’American Academy of PediatricsL’American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association have recently declared that the decline in mental health of young people linked to the Covid pandemic has become a national emergency.

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