Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine
  • Year: 2021
  • Volume: 43
  • Issue: 1

Paradoxes of suicide and psychological crisis-An Uttarakhand phenomenon during COVID-19 lockdown

  • Author:
  • Shinto Devassy1*, Abel K. Samuel Johnson2, Chandra Prakash Bhaisora1, Pooja Hatwal1
  • Total Page Count: 3
  • Page Number: 65 to 67

1Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Haldwani, Uttarakhand, India

2Department of Community Medicine, Believers Church Medical College, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India

*Corresponding Author Dr Shinto Devassy (Assistant Professor) E-mail: shinto.devassy@gmail.com Mobile: +91-9742383741

Online published on 10 September, 2021.

Abstract

Indian government had mandated nationwide lockdown with stringent guidelines from March 24th to May 4th 2020. Lockdown created huge impact on everything. It has exacerbated pre-existing mental illness in many, thereby leading to “Quarantine Blues.” This retrospective study had been conducted in Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at a tertiary health care centre, Haldwani th th in Nainital district; Uttarakhand to focus on how the lockdown effect correlated to suicide from March 24th to May 4th 2020 with the same time period of preceding years (2016–2019). There was a decline in the trend of suicides during lockdown (n=1) when compared with concurrent time interval over the previous years. Domestic violence spikes are supposed to bloom the number of suicides, but Uttarakhand phenomenon is a paradox which needs to be further evaluated.

Keywords

Suicide, Lockdown, Covid-19, Pandemic, Deliberate self-harm