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Abstract
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The unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused havoc in various realms of life. The psychological impact of the pandemic has already presented in the form of fear and uncertainty, acute reaction to stress, disturbances in sleeping and eating patterns, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide attempts and completed suicides (Joseph, Gunaseelan, et al., 2020; Klomek, 2020; Nayar et al., 2020). Suicide is probably going to become an even more major concern as the pandemic unfolds (Gunnell et al., 2020). Literature has pointed out towards the probability of increase in rates of suicide attempts and completed suicide during the pandemic, though exact numbers are not yet known (Sher, 2020a, 2020b; Thakur & Jain, 2020).
Psychological issues which could lead to suicidal thoughts include social isolation, anxiety, fear and uncertainty (of getting infected/of infecting others/of availability of specific treatment or vaccinations in the near future), poor sleep quality and eating habits (Sher, 2020a, 2020b). Exacerbation of mental health issues in those already diagnosed with mental health issues, relapse of illness due to disruption in treatment compliance and limitations in reaching to hospitals and, alcohol and substance use (Joseph, Shoib, et al., 2020), may also be responsible for the surge in suicidal behaviour. Social factors which could lead to suicidal thoughts currently include financial crisis, unemployment, restricted supplies of essential commodities, intimate partner violence, school closures (causing poor child growth/increased exposure of certain children to violence at home/missing mid-day meals for those dependent on it), being in vulnerable groups (homeless/jobless persons/children/older adults), those diagnosed with COVID-19, burnout in frontline healthcare workers, family members of affected persons, hospitalization in COVID-19 critical care units, stigma and discrimination regarding the outbreak as well as, mental health issues due to it, restrictions to participate in religious congregations or to visit religious places and, an 'infodemic' phenomenon including misinformation, rumours and conspiracies (Gunnell et al., 2020; Joseph, Mishra, et al., 2020; Joseph, Singh Bhandari, et al., 2020; Sher, 2020b)...
Language: en |