Factors associated with suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial morbidity and mortality associated directly with viral infection. However, the indirect economic impacts associated with the pandemic are likely to contribute to increased burden of physical and mental illness beyond the pandemic itself. Suicide rates have dropped during the immediate period of the pandemic but there is uncertainty over the factors contributing to changes in suicide rates in people receiving mental healthcare and the degree to which living in an area of high rates of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, increased isolation through local/national lockdown measures or reduced employment opportunities could contribute towards this in the future. We will examine changes in suicide rates in people receiving mental healthcare and their association with local unemployment rates and COVID-19 case rates through a data linkage with the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the London DataStore and UK Public Health Surveillance data.