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Abstract
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Aim: The global Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted various aspects of health, notably increasing suicidal behaviors, particularly among adolescents. Suicidal behaviors, a growing public health concern, have been widely analyzed, with the pandemic exacerbating these trends, especially in youth. This study focuses on the epidemiology of suicidal behaviors among adolescents aged 11 to 18 in Greater Marseille during the pandemic. Methods: It involved analyzing the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of adolescents hospitalized for suicidal behaviors in the general pediatrics department at the Timone University Hospital in Marseille from March 2019 to June 2024. Additionally, we examined the clinical profiles of patients transferred to the child psychiatry department of Espace Arthur at Salvator Hospital. Results revealed a significant rise in hospitalizations for suicidal behaviors throughout the pandemic, aligning with trends seen nationally and internationally, with a delayed peak in 2020 specific to this region. Longer hospitalization durations after the pandemic suggest more severe clinical profiles, compounded by a reduced availability of inpatient child psychiatry services. In conclusion, this study highlights that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a sustained increase in both the frequency and severity of suicidal behaviors among adolescents in Greater Marseille, with prevalence rates remaining significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels through June 2024. These findings underscore the need to rethink and potentially reorganize suicide prevention and psychiatric care for youth at a local level, as our colleagues do at the national level.
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