Suicide in India during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Vikas Arya; Andrew Page; Matthew J Spittal; Rakhi Dandona; Lakshmi Vijayakumar; Sithum Munasinghe; Ann John; David Gunnell; Jane Pirkis; Gregory Armstrong

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.066

Suicide in India during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

J Affect Disord. 2022 Jun 15:307:215-220. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.066. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: arya.v@unimelb.edu.au.
² Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Australia.
³ Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ Public Health Foundation of India, India; Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, USA.
⁵ SNEHA, - Suicide Prevention Centre, Voluntary Health Services, Chennai, India.
⁶ Swansea University Medical School, UK.
⁷ Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals, Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol, UK.
⁸ Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
⁹ Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia.

Abstract

Background: There has been substantial discussion as to whether the mental health and socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic might impact suicide rates. Although India accounts for the largest proportion of global suicides, the early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide rates in this country are unknown.

Methods: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data were used to calculate annual suicide rates for the period 2010-2020, stratified by sex and state. Rate Ratios (RRs) stratified by sex and state were calculated to estimate the extent of change in suicide rates.

Results: Suicide rates in India generally showed a decreasing trend from 2010 until 2017, with the trend reversing after this period, particularly for males. Among males and females, the highest increase post 2017 was noted in 2020 (compared to 2017) (males: RR = 1.18 95% UI 1.17-1.19; females: RR = 1.05 95% UI 1.03-1.06).

Limitation: Suicide rates based on the NCRB data might be an underestimation of the true suicide rates.

Conclusion: Suicide rates in India increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and although the increase in suicide rates, especially among males, predates the pandemic, the increase in suicide rates was highest in 2020, compared to increases in previous years. Further research is warranted to understand the potential ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide in India.

Keywords: COVID-19; India; National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB); Suicide.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Female
Humans
India / epidemiology
Male
Mental Health
Pandemics
Suicide*