Suicide mortality data from the Italian police during the COVID-19 pandemic

Annals of General Psychiatry

Maurizio Pompili¹  Michele Fornaro²  Fabrizio Ciprani³  Rita Messina³  Sergio Garbarino⁴ 

[1] Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University, 00185, Rome, Italy;Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, University School of Medicine “Federico II,”, Naples, Italy;State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of the Interior, 00198, Rome, Italy;State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of the Interior, 00198, Rome, Italy;Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Maternal/Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy;

关键词: Suicide;    Police officers;    COVID-19;    Prevention;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12991-021-00350-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Suicide is a major public health issue worldwide, with about 880,000 dying annually for such a cause. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to severe social disruption both from health and economic standpoints. Law enforcement personnel have been significantly involved in helping to face the many difficulties due to the pandemic. Police officers have been subjected to further stress from managing social restrictions imposed by governments to contain the pandemic. The Italian State Police steadily approximate 100,000 people aged 25–65 years: 14 subjects (mean age 43.64 years) died by suicide in 2015, 7 (mean age 47.5 years) in 2016, 13 (mean age 45.62 years) in 2017, 10 (mean age 48.1 years) in 2018, 18 (mean age 46.78 years) in 2019, and 12 (mean age 52 years) in 2020. Our records excluded significant changes in suicide incidence rate within 2015–2020 (till December 2020). However, the COVID-19 pandemic spread faster in Italy than in other regions, meaning that the Italian State Police possibly faced prolonged, intense stress. Suicide prevention, therefore, remains a priority, especially during this difficult time.

【 授权许可】

CC BY