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Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention pp 691–701Cite as

Suicide and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Abstract

There is growing evidence that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have extended well beyond those who have been infected or bereaved by COVID-19. However, the extent of the effects remains unknown. The public health measures put in place in countries around the world to mitigate the spread of the virus have led to significant disruption to people’s lives. In particular, the implementation of lockdown measures which have included restrictions on movement, social gatherings and the closing of all nonessential retail and hospitality, have impacted upon people’s sense of isolation and uncertainty [1]. As many of these factors may also be associated with suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors, in this chapter we review the evidence from before and during the pandemic to better understand the mental health impact of COVID-19.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Karen Wetherall, Seonaid Cleare & Rory C. O’Connor

  2. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Tiago Zortea

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  1. Karen Wetherall
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  2. Seonaid Cleare
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Correspondence to Karen Wetherall .

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  1. Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Maurizio Pompili

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Wetherall, K., Cleare, S., Zortea, T., O’Connor, R.C. (2022). Suicide and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Pompili, M. (eds) Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42003-1_95

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