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Excess suicides in Brazil during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic: Gender, regional and age group inequalities

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  • Jesem Douglas Yamall Orellana
  • Maximiliano Loiola Ponte de Souza
  • Bernardo Lessa Horta

Abstract

Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic’s total impact on global mortality is uncertain, an estimated 15 million excess deaths occurred during the first two pandemic years, suggesting that a broad impact, since several causes of death showed a substantial rise. Aims: To estimate excess suicides in Brazil and evaluate differences within and between subgroups during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Based on suicide data from the mortality information system of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the expected number of suicides was estimated by age group, gender, 4-month periods and regions through quasi-Poisson generalized additive models. Analyses were performed in R software and RStudio. Results: Between March 2020 and February 2022, 29,295 suicides were reported in Brazil, close to what would be expected (30,116; 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): [28,009, 32,224]), albeit in males and females aged 30 to 59 years and 60 years and over, there were excess suicides in at least one of the six 4-month periods evaluated, especially in the second pandemic year. In the Southeast region, a 28% increase was observed in women 60 years and older during the second year. In the North region, suicide increased 23% and 32% among women aged 30 to 59 years during the first and second pandemic years, respectively. The Northeast region had a 16% excess in suicides among men aged 30 to 59 years and 61% among women 60 years old and older during the second pandemic year, reaching 83% in July to October 2021. Conclusions: During the first 2 pandemic years, the pattern of suicides was not homogeneous in Brazil. There were substantial excess suicides in women aged 30 to 59 years from the North and Northeast, while among the elderly and men there was a consistent pattern in several four-month periods throughout Brazil.

Suggested Citation

  • Jesem Douglas Yamall Orellana & Maximiliano Loiola Ponte de Souza & Bernardo Lessa Horta, 2024. "Excess suicides in Brazil during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic: Gender, regional and age group inequalities," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 70(1), pages 99-112, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:70:y:2024:i:1:p:99-112
    DOI: 10.1177/00207640231196743
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. William Msemburi & Ariel Karlinsky & Victoria Knutson & Serge Aleshin-Guendel & Somnath Chatterji & Jon Wakefield, 2023. "The WHO estimates of excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic," Nature, Nature, vol. 613(7942), pages 130-137, January.
    2. Yüksel Okşak & Cüneyt Koyuncu & Rasim Yilmaz, 2023. "The long-run analysis of the association between macroeconomic variables and suicide: the case of Turkic-speaking countries in Central Asia," Central Asian Survey, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(3), pages 597-616, July.
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    1. Karina Cardoso Meira & Raphael Mendonça Guimarães & Rafael Tavares Jomar & Cosme Marcelo Furtado Passos da Silva & Fabiana Serpa Braiti & Eder Samuel Oliveira Dantas, 2025. "Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Suicide Mortality in Brazil: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(2), pages 1-24, January.

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