Increased risk for mental disorders and suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Position statement of the Section on Suicidology and Suicide Prevention of the European Psychiatric Association

• Autor(a) principal: Sarchiapone, Marco
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Lopez-Castroman, Jorge, Gramaglia, Carla, Baca-Garcia, Enrique, Baralla, Francesca, Barrigon, Maria, Bartollino, Silvia, Beezhold, Julian, Bobes, Julio, Calati, Rafaella, Cardoner, Narcis, Colucci, Erminia, Courtel, Philippe, Duica, Lavinia, Dunkley, Christine, Dunkley, Laura, Gusmão, Ricardo, Jesus, Catarina, Jollant, Fabrice, Kasal, Alexandr, Khan, Anisur, Michielsen, Philip, Osvath, peter, Palmer, Stephen, Petros, Nuhamin, Pirlog, Mihai, Estrada, Anna, Sainz, Pilar, Santos, José Carlos Pereira dos, Potiez, Alexandra, Feltz-Cornelis, Christina, Vitcheva, Tereza, Winkler, Petr, Zeppegno, Patricia
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://web.esenfc.pt/?url=ERr8AMtO
• topic: Mental health; suicide risk; Suicidal behaviors; Suicide prevention; COVID-19; pandemic

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. The Section on Suicidology and Suicide Prevention of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) wants to raise awareness about the potential increase in mental health disorders and suicides as a result of the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and of the necessary restrictive measures adopted worldwide to contain its spread. Even if fear, worries and symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress can be considered a natural response to this global crisis, some individuals are overexposed to its potential negative effects, such as healthcare workers, COVID-19 and psychiatric patients, prisoners, members of the LGBTQ+ community, migrants (including migrant workers), ethnic minorities and asylum seekers and internally displaced populations. Nevertheless, social support, resilience, a supportive work environment and other protective factors may buffer the impact of this crisis on mental health. These unprecedented times are calling for unprecedented efforts. Evidence-based and coordinated actions to prevent the risk of increased mental health disorders and suicide are needed. However, most of the data about COVID-19 impact on mental health comes from online surveys using non-probability and convenience sample in which females are often over-represented. For this reason the quality of future research should be also improved.