Global COVID-19 outbreak and job loss resulted in surge of suicidal ideation, especially in young people, finds study

Medical Xpress September 9, 2024
University of Montreal

Nearly three times as many Canadians—close to 8%—thought of killing themselves in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than in previous years, a new study led by Université de Montréal researchers suggests.

Based on an online survey of nearly 1,800 Canadian adults, the study also found that suicidal ideation was nearly twice as high (almost 11%) among young people in their 20s than in people aged 30 and older (6.6%).

The results are published this month in Scientific Reports.

“It’s a sensitive subject,” acknowledged the article’s first author, Guillaume Dubé, who was an undergraduate student in sociology at UdeM at the time of the study and is now about to begin a Ph.D. in epidemiology.

“Why did the pandemic...

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