Abstract: Background: The world is dealing with COVID pandemic and its consequences. The medical fraternity & the governments of their respective countries are taking avid measures in curtailing the epidemic to a minimum. With the focus mainly on the case detection and treatment, issue that has been grossly overlooked, is the mental repercussions of the COVID pandemic and its economic fallout. The plastic surgery department observed a high incidence of suicidal wrist cut injuries during the Lock down phase in India and planned to study such suicidal cases in details and assess the reason behind them.
Methods: A retrospective observational epidemiological assessment over a period of three months of lockdown was conducted, the cases included hand cut injuries especially with suicidal intent. Similar data was retrieved for the years 2019, 2018 and 2017. The suicidal cases were studied in details as to their cause of suicide, previous psychiatric history, depth of cut, if on any medication et cetera. Fischer’s Exact T test was used to calculate significant correlation.
Results: There was a significant correlation of suicidal hand cut injuries and COVID pandemic. 75% of the causes were related to COVID pandemic directly or indirectly. The suicides showed a true intent in the self-harm inflicted.
Conclusions: The management of the population vulnerable to mental diseases has become disrupted. Filling the lacunae of awareness at the grass root level is the need of the hour. Also measures need to be taken to regain the waning of empathy shown by the already taxed health care professional while dealing with patients in OPD and emergency.
Funding: None
Keywords: Wrist cut, COVID, awareness, Self-harm, poor management.
Title: Self-harm and Suicide- A COVID-19 Pandemic fallout
Author: Surendra Bhagwatrao Patil, Al-Iqyan Juzar Fidvi, Siddharth Sunil Keswani, Ashish Mahadeorao Warhekar, Khushboo Nilesh Kadakia, Neha Gupta
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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