Suicide in Healthcare Workers: Determinants, Challenges, and the Impact of COVID-19

Frontiers in Psychiatry

Alifiya Aamir¹  Zoha Allahuddin¹  Mufaddal Najmuddin Diwan¹  Sana Awan¹  Muhammad Irfan²  Irfan Ullah³  Alessandro Carano⁴  Federica Vellante⁵  Domenico De Berardis⁶  Antonio Ventriglio⁷  Alessandro Valchera⁸  Massimo Di Giannantonio⁸  Mauro Pettorruso⁸  Giovanni Martinotti⁸  Michele Fornaro⁹ 

[1] Department of Internal Medicine, Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan;Department of Internal Medicine, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan;Department of Internal Medicine, Kabir Medical College, Gandhara University, Peshawar, Pakistan;Department of Mental Health, Azienda Sanitaria Unica Regionale 5 Marche, San Benedetto Del Tronto, Italy;Department of Mental Health, Mental Health Center of Ortona, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Chieti, Chieti, Italy;Department of Mental Health, Psychiatric Service for Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital “G. Mazzini”, Teramo, Italy;Department of Mental Health, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy;Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University “G. d'Annunzio” of Chieti - Pescara, Chieti, Italy;Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry, Unit of Treatment-Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy;

关键词: COVID-19;    healthcare workers;    suicide;    depression;    anxiety;    burnout;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792925

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), which first appeared in Wuhan, China, and was later declared a pandemic, has caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Numerous efforts have been made worldwide to understand the disease's physical manifestation. However, less emphasis has been placed on the pandemic's mental health challenges for healthcare workers (HCWs) who played a critical role in fighting the disease. Existing literature shows the detrimental psychological impact and increased incidence of depression and anxiety among HCWs. It is expected that the mental health crisis will become a serious issue affecting HCWs, with long-term negative consequences following COVID. Physicians and nurses already represent the highest risk groups of suicide among the general population, and suicide can be regarded as an occupational hazard in the healthcare industry. Increased workload, burnout and fatigue, multifaceted challenges women HCWs, and increased substance abuse are contributing factors to suicide ideation. In this article, we identify the risk factors of suicide among HCWs, discuss mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic and its impact on suicide ideation.

【 授权许可】

Unknown