Corona: Suicide rates unchanged for the time being

Ana Goldscheider studied journalism and corporate communication in Hamburg and is now completing additional training as an editor. In a medical editorial office, she writes texts for print magazines and, among other things.

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The corona crisis is considered to be a particular threat to mentally unstable people. There was great concern that the number of suicides could rise under the influence of the pandemic. At least in Bavaria this has not been the case so far. However, experts fear long-term consequences in this regard as well.

Bavaria's authorities have so far had no evidence of increased suicide rates in the corona crisis. According to the State Office of Criminal Investigation, the numbers are even slightly lower than last year at this time.

Hotline only used more frequently for a short time

After a brief increase to around 180 calls per day at the beginning of the crisis, the number of calls on the hotline of the psychiatry crisis service leveled off again at the normal level of 140 per day, the responsible district of Upper Bavaria announced on request.

"A lot of people were worried and scared," said a spokeswoman. "Frequently mentioned problem areas are fears of infection, isolation, being overwhelmed by the situation, especially for families with children and for people living alone". In addition, there are worries about the future, fear of relatives suffering from Covid-19 or of the job.

Emotional pressure increases depression

Basically, the situation is particularly difficult for people who already suffer from a mental illness such as depression. "If someone was already under emotional pressure before the corona crisis, the current situation can bring the famous barrel to overflow," said the spokeswoman. "The load can trigger what was just under control before."

Fear of delayed effects

The medical director of the Isar-Amper-Klinikum in Haar near Munich, Peter Brieger, fears that the psychological effects of the crisis may occur with a delay.

"It could be that so many social factors are now collapsing," said Brieger: "Permanent short-time work, employment relationships are being lost, partnerships are collapsing, financial burdens arise or people get drunk at home out of boredom. These are all risk factors for suicide. "

And he sees another risk factor: "I believe that working from home is not good for people's mental health in the long term." However, because the measures have now been relaxed, the risk of suicide is not quite as high as it would have been the case with long-term exit restrictions.

Constant suicide rates

Between the beginning of March and May 25, 388 people in Bavaria committed suicide. In the same period of 2019 there were 399. The number of suicide attempts also remained more or less constant. In the just under three months mentioned, there were 461 people, compared to 457 in the previous year.

There was a slightly larger increase in February, before the start of the Corona measures in Germany. 321 people in Bavaria wanted to commit suicide that month, 142 of them died. In February 2019 there were a total of 272 failed and completed suicide attempts, 49 fewer cases than this year. In all of Germany, more people die from their own hands each year than from traffic accidents, acts of violence and illegal drugs combined. (Ag / dpa)

Tags:  prevention drugs teenager