%0 Journal Article
%T Depression and suicidal behavior in South Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
%J Global mental health (Cambridge, England)
%D 2022
%A Arafat, S. M. Yasir
%A Saleem, Tamkeen
%A Menon, Vikas
%A Ali, Syeda Ayat-e-Zainab
%A Baminiwatta, Anuradha
%A Kar, Sujita Kumar
%A Akter, Hasina
%A Singh, Rakesh
%V ePub
%N ePub
%P ePub-ePub
%X BackgroundEstimates of depression in suicidal behavior in South Asia would help to formulate suicide prevention strategies in the region that hasn't been assessed yet.<br><br>OBJECTIVEsWe aimed to systematically assess the prevalence of depression in fatal and non-fatal attempts of suicide in eight South Asian countries.<br><br>METHODSWe searched Medline, Embase, and PsychINFO by specific search terms to identify articles assessing depression in fatal and non-fatal attempts of suicide in South Asian countries published between 2001 and 2020. Two separate meta-analyses were conducted for fatal and non-fatal attempts. Due to the high heterogeneity of studies (96-98%), random-effects models were used to calculate pooled prevalence rates.<br><br>RESULTSA total of 38 studies was identified from five south Asian countries (India [27], Pakistan [6], Sri Lanka [3], Nepal [1], and Bangladesh [1]). The majority of studies (n = 27) were published after 2010. Twenty-two studies reported non-fatal attempts, and sixteen reported suicide. The prevalence of depression among non-fatal attempts ranged from 14% to 78% where the pooled prevalence rate was 32.7% [95% CI 26-39.3%]. The prevalence of depression among suicides ranged from 8% to 79% where the pooled prevalence estimate was 37.3% [95% CI 26.9-47.6%].<br><br>CONCLUSIONSThis review revealed the pooled prevalence of depression among fatal and non-fatal suicidal attempts in South Asian countries, which seems to be lower when comparedto the Western countries. However, a cautious interpretation is warranted due to the heterogeneity of study methods, sample size, and measurement of depression.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Cambridge University Press
%@ 2054-4251
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2022.20