[LC] as a Possible Contributor to Rising Suicide Mortality in Bharat (India): An Analysis of Suicide Trends Since [COVID], 2024, Varshney et al

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Long COVID as a Possible Contributor to Rising Suicide Mortality in Bharat (India): An Analysis of Suicide Trends Since the Emergence of COVID-19

Karan Varshney, Mansoor Ahmed Panhwar

Abstract
Mortality due to suicide is amongst the largest public health concerns across the world today in Bharat (India). There have been concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to worsening mental health outcomes across the world, including in Bharat. Furthermore, long COVID has been proposed to be a major consequence of COVID-19, which can also worsen mental health outcomes.

Therefore, our objective in this study was to analyse trends in suicide mortality across Bharat and to compare these trends to changes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic; in addition, we aimed to analyse if long COVID had any role in these changes.

It was found that, at a national level, the average annual increase in the suicide rate between 2019 and 2022 was 0.7 per 100,000 people (a 6.41% increase). There was also an average annual rise in suicide rates across 27 states/union territories (out of the 33 that were analysed). States/UTs with the highest annual increases since the start of the COVID-19, despite a decrease from 2018 to 2019, were Tamil Nadu (increased by 2.7; a 15.17% increase) and Telangana (increased by 1.9; a 9.22% increase).

Multi-linear regression showed that the annual suicide rate changes were not associated with COVID-19 deaths per 10,000 people (standardized beta coefficient = 0.077; p = 0.605) but were associated with COVID-19 cases per 100 people (standardized beta coefficient = 0.578; p < 0.001).

It has been shown that suicide mortality has worsened, and long COVID may have a potential role in this in Bharat.

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suicide rate per 100,000 people

Connected to this point, these findings indicate a clear need for more allocation of funding towards mental health care as part of government initiatives. Access to more psychiatrists in the nation is clearly needed, as the country currently only has approximately 0.30 psychiatrists per 100,000 population [31]. Increased funding for mental health supports should also involve a focus on improving access to counselling while also working to improve traditional approaches and fostering protective factors. For example, it has been shown that traditional healers have a valuable role in providing mental health support in certain regions, and there may be notable benefits in improving integration of such healers into health and medical systems [32].

There is a need for further research on the biological basis for long COVID causing all forms of mental health impacts, but especially suicide. Further research should also work towards focusing on providing tools for diagnosing long COVID, providing a prognosis, and determining factors that increase risk of occurrence of this condition. Furthermore, there is a clear need to better understand the condition so that treatment regimens can be developed.