Calati R, Gentile G, Fornaro M, Madeddu F, Tambuzzi S, Zoja R. Suicide and homicide before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Milan, Italy.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS REPORTS 2023;
12:100510. [PMID:
36852089 PMCID:
PMC9946781 DOI:
10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100510]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has been postulated to account for inflated rates of either suicides or homicides. Nonetheless, results are discordant, in particular concerning suicide. We aimed to perform a retrospective analysis of suicides and homicides in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy (districts of Milan and Monza Brianza), the Italian region most seriously impacted by the pandemic outbreak.
Methods
Data were collected during the autopsies performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Milan. We presented suicides and homicides in the years 2015-2021 and compared the year 2021 to 2019, a pre-COVID-19 year.
Results
Data may allow us to cautiously hypothesize a normalization of trends ("regression" to the mean effect) as time passes from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Limitations
Limited number of events, in particular, homicides.
Conclusions
Recording historical reports from the same region is warranted besides the comparisons across different countries.
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