1. How many people die by suicide each year? Not 727,000 : a systematic review and meta-analysis of suicide underreporting across 71 countries over 122 yearsNicola Meda, Ludovica Angelozzi, Matteo Poletto, Angelo Patane, Josephine Zammarrelli, Irene Slongo, Fabio Sambataro, Diego De Leo, 2025, pregledni znanstveni članek Opis: Background: Suicide underreporting undermines accurate public health assessments and resource allocation for suicide prevention. This study aims at synthesizing evidence on suicide underreporting and to estimate a global underreporting rate. Methods: We conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic review on suicide underreporting, following a pre-registered protocol. A meta-analytical synthesis was also conducted. Quantitative data from individual studies was extracted to provide an overall global estimate of suicide underreporting (42 studies covering 71 countries out of the initial 770 unique studies, spanning 1900–2021). Most studies used retrospective institutional datasets to estimate underreporting through reclassification of undetermined deaths or comparisons across databases. Demographic and geographic disparities were also examined. Results: The 42 studies selected provided some quantitative data on suicide underreporting for general or specific populations. 14 of these studies provided data to be meta-analyzed. The global suicide underreporting rate was estimated to be 17.9% (95% CI: 10.9–28.1%) with large differences between countries with high and low/very low data quality. In this scenario, the last WHO estimates of suicide deaths – corrected for underreporting – would be more than one million (1,000,638; 95% CI: 859,511–1,293,006) and not 727,000 suicides per year. Underreporting was higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with incomplete death registration systems, such as India and China (34.9%; 95% CI 20.3–53%), while high-income countries exhibited lower rates (11.5%; 95% CI 6.6–19.3%). Contributing factors included stigma, religiosity, limited forensic resources, and inconsistent use of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Gender and age disparities were notable; Female suicides and those among younger or older individuals were more likely to be misclassified. Discussion: Addressing suicide underreporting requires improving death registration systems globally, particularly in LMICs. Standardizing ICD usage, improving forensic capacity, and reducing stigma are critical steps to ensure accurate data. Heterogeneity, geographical disparities, temporal biases, and invariance of suicide underreporting for countries with low-quality data demand further corroboration of these findings.
Ključne besede: misclassification, under-reporting, suicide, global burden, global health estimates
Objavljeno v RUP: 18.12.2025; Ogledov: 271; Prenosov: 3
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2. Qualitative content analysis of COVID-19’s role in suicide attempts leading to hospital careMartina Mravlja, Anthony Pisani R., Annamarie Bailey, Nicola Meda, Alexandre Paim-Diaz, Kristina Zurich, Kenneth Conner, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Introduction: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide risk has been documented during the acute phase, but less is known about people who attempted suicide during the post-acute period. This study investigates how adults who attempted suicide during the post-acute pandemic period (2021–2023) understood COVID-19’s role in their attempt. Method: We analyzed interview data from 329 adults (59% female; 41% male), enrolled following a recent suicide attempt between 2021 and 2023. Participants were asked about the general impact of COVID-19 on their lives and then specifically about whether stress related to COVID-19 was a primary reason for their attempt or contributed to their suicidal thoughts. Results: When asked about their recent attempt, 11% of participants identified stress related to COVID-19 as the primary reason for their attempt, and an additional 23% indicated it contributed to their suicidal thoughts. When describing general impacts, participants reported effects across multiple domains: social isolation, physical health concerns, mental health impacts, and economic effects. Discussion: The attribution of suicide attempts to COVID-19-related stress during the post-acute period highlights the extended impact of public health crises on vulnerable individuals. These findings emphasize the need for sustained, integrated medical and mental healthcare following such crises.
Ključne besede: suicide, COVID-19, pandemic mental health, loneliness, isolation, healthcare, stress, prevention
Objavljeno v RUP: 17.12.2025; Ogledov: 248; Prenosov: 5
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