Prevalence of Suicide and Self-harm During the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic: A Systematic Review Study

During the COVID-19 epidemic, many people around the world committed suicide and self-harm due to psychological disorders. For this purpose, studies on the prevalence of self-harm and suicide attempt during COVID-19 have been reviewed in the present study.
In this review study the following specialized keywords were searched between 2020 (May) and 2022 (January) in English databases such as Google Scholar, ISI, Scopus, Science Direct, and PubMed:  suicide, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, self-harm, self-injury, self-harm deliberate, COVID-19.
The results showed that the prevalence of suicide (2%-71.9%) and self-harm (2%-47.6%) during COVID-19 has increased significantly compared to the past. Economic problems, young age, being a woman, unemployment, family problems, loneliness, and psychological distress were among the factors that aggravated self-harm and suicide attempt during COVID-19. In contrast, social support, resilience, psychological resilience, and spiritual health reduced suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
According to the obtained results, lack of access to a psychologist was one of the important reasons for thoughts and behaviors related to self-harm and suicide during COVID-19 epidemic. For this reason, it is necessary for psychological centers, hospitals, and related organizations to take measures in order to increase tele-mental health services.