The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide trends in Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

Suicide is one of the worldwide leading causes of unnatural death. Pretoria is a capital city of South Africa and is the fourth most populated city in South Africa. Between 16 and 22 suicide cases are recorded daily in South Africa.

Case files from the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory were reviewed between 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2021, which spanned the COVID-19 pandemic. All cases of possible and probable suicides were included. One-way analysis of variance and Pearson chi tests were conducted to determine statistical significance in the observed trends.

A total of 1820 possible and probable suicide cases were identified. The year following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic accounted for the largest number of suicides. White males were the most heavily represented population, followed by Black males. Hanging was the most common method for males, whereas poisoning via ingestion and/or overdose was more commonly used by females.

Suicides in Pretoria have increased since previous studies from 9.74% and 10.2% to 13.32%. Methods used have changed among various population groups over the past two decades. This paper examined changes in suicide trends in Pretoria compared to previous studies and highlighted correlations between suicide trends and COVID-19 lockdown measures.