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Substance use and self-harm emergency department presentations during COVID19: evidence from a National Clinical Programme for Self-Harm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2022

E. Maguire ,
K. Kavalidou ,
N. Bannan ,
A. M. Doherty Open the ORCID record for A. M. Doherty [Opens in a new window]  and
A. Jeffers
E. Maguire*
Affiliation:
Department of Liaison Psychiatry, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland
K. Kavalidou
Affiliation:
National Clinical Programme for Self-harm and Suicide-related Ideation, HSE, Ireland National Suicide Research Foundation, WHO Collaborating Centre for Surveillance and Research in Suicide Prevention, Western Gateway Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
N. Bannan
Affiliation:
Department of Liaison Psychiatry, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland
A. M. Doherty
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Department of Liaison Psychiatry, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, 63 Eccles Street, Dublin 7, Ireland
A. Jeffers
Affiliation:
National Clinical Programme for Self-harm and Suicide-related Ideation, HSE, Ireland
*
Address for correspondence: E. Maguire, Department of Liaison Psychiatry, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland. Email: erica.maguire@hse.ie
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Abstract

Introduction:

Given the evidence that drinking patterns and self-harm hospital presentations have changed during COVID-19, this study aimed to examine any change in self-harm and suicide-related ideation presentations, together with any possible contribution made by alcohol or substance misuse, to Irish Emergency Departments in 2020, compared with 2018 and 2019.

Methods:

A population-based cohort with self-harm and suicide-related ideation presenting to Irish hospitals derived from the National Clinical Programme for Self-Harm was analysed. Descriptive analyses were conducted based on sociodemographic variables and types of presentation for the period January to August 2020 and compared with the same period in 2018 and 2019. Binomial regression analyses were performed to investigate the independent effect of demographic characteristics and pre/during COVID-19 periods on the use of substances as contributory factors in the self-harm and suicide-related ideation presentations.

Results:

12,075 presentations due to self-harm and suicide-related ideation were recorded for the periods January–August 2018–2020 across nine emergency departments. The COVID-19 year was significantly associated with substances contributing to self-harm and suicide-related ideation ED presentations (OR = 1.183; 95% CI, 1.075–1.301, p < 0.001). No changes in the demographic characteristics were found for those with self-harm or suicide-related ideation across the years. Suicide-related ideation seemed to be increased after May 2020 compared with previous years. In terms of self-harm episodes with comorbid drug and alcohol overdose and poisoning, these were significantly increased in January–August 2020, compared with previous timepoints (χ2 = 42.424, df = 6, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

An increase in suicide-related ideation and substance-related self-harm presentations may indicate longer term effects of the pandemic and its relevant restrictions. Future studies might explore whether those presenting with ideation will develop a risk of suicide in post-pandemic periods.

Keywords

AlcoholCOVID-19emergency departmentLiaison Psychiatryself-harmsubstancesuicide-related ideation
Type
Original Research
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , September 2023 , pp. 424 - 429
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland

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Footnotes

E. Maguire and K. Kavalidou contributed equally to this work.

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