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Youth suicide attempt presentations rose during the pandemic

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Research area:mental-health-psychiatrysuicide-self-harm-research

What the study found

Psychiatric emergency presentations after suicide attempts among children and adolescents increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic period. The increase was not seen in the post-pandemic period, which did not differ significantly from pre-pandemic levels.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors conclude that suicide attempts may reflect psychosocial burden that is not captured by mortality data alone. They also suggest that emergency presentations should be monitored and that low-threshold mental health support is needed beyond periods of acute crisis.

What the researchers tested

The researchers did a retrospective analysis at a tertiary care center in Vienna, Austria, from January 2019 to December 2023. They compared pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods, and used the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker Stringency Index to measure the intensity of government containment measures.

What worked and what didn't

There were 6,319 psychiatric emergency presentations in total, including 722 following suicide attempts. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, suicide attempt-related presentations increased during the pandemic (RR = 1.80, p < .001), and higher monthly presentation rates were associated with greater containment stringency (RR per point = 1.007, p < .001). The post-pandemic period did not differ significantly from the pre-pandemic period, and an independent upward temporal trend was also observed across the study period.

What to keep in mind

The study was based on one tertiary care center in Vienna, so the findings may not apply everywhere. The abstract does not describe additional limitations beyond the observational, retrospective design.

Key points

  • Youth suicide attempt-related psychiatric emergency presentations increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Post-pandemic presentation levels were not significantly different from pre-pandemic levels.
  • Higher government containment stringency was associated with higher monthly suicide attempt presentation rates.
  • The analysis included 6,319 psychiatric emergency presentations, 722 of which followed suicide attempts.
  • The authors suggest suicide attempts may indicate psychosocial burden not reflected in mortality data alone.

Disclosure

Research title:
Youth suicide attempt presentations rose during the pandemic
Authors:
J. Schmier, Paul L. Plener, Diana Klinger
Institutions:
Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna, Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna, Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Universität Ulm
Publication date:
2026-07-04
DOI:
10.1007/s00787-026-03119-y
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.

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