Department of Research, 113 Suicide Prevention, The Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centers/VUmc, The Netherlands.
Crisis. 2023 Jul;44(4):285-291. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000863. Epub 2022 Jun 20.
Although the number of suicides did not increase in 2020, there are concerns about the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. To present the demand for the Dutch suicide prevention helpline during times of lockdown and to describe the coronavirus-related problems discussed. An observational and exploratory study analyzing the frequency of helpline requests and registration data ( = 893 conversations). Demand for the helpline did increase, but with no distinctive relation with the lockdown measures. During the first lockdown, approximately a quarter of the analyzed helpline conversations were registered as coronavirus-related by the counselors. Most frequently mentioned conversation topics were the interruption to or changes in professional help, social isolation and loss of structure, and ways to find a distraction from suicidal thoughts/rumination. Observational study design prevents causal inferences, and demand for the helpline is impacted by multiple factors. These coronavirus-related problems made help-seekers vulnerable to suicidal thoughts and a reduced desire to live. That many suffered from loneliness is concerning as this contributes to the risk of suicidal ideation. The distress among help-seekers due to the sudden loss of mental health care underscores the importance of maintaining contact with those in care and lowering the threshold for help.
尽管 2020 年自杀人数没有增加，但人们仍对新冠疫情对心理健康造成的后果感到担忧。为了展示封锁期间荷兰自杀预防热线的需求，并描述与冠状病毒相关的讨论问题。本研究采用观察性和探索性方法，分析了热线请求的频率和注册数据（=893 次对话）。热线需求确实有所增加，但与封锁措施没有明显关系。在第一次封锁期间，顾问将大约四分之一的分析中的热线对话标记为与冠状病毒相关。提到的最常见话题是专业帮助的中断或改变、社会孤立和失去结构，以及找到分散自杀念头/沉思的方法。观察性研究设计不能进行因果推断，并且热线需求受到多种因素的影响。这些与冠状病毒相关的问题使寻求帮助者容易产生自杀念头和降低生活意愿。许多人感到孤独令人担忧，因为这会增加自杀意念的风险。由于突然失去心理健康护理而给寻求帮助者带来的困扰，突显了保持与护理人员联系和降低求助门槛的重要性。
