Increased ambulance attendances related to suicide and self-injury in response to the pandemic in Australia

Investigating the change in the trend of ambulance service utilization for suicide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic can clarify the impact of the pandemic on acute health services. To determine whether the trends of the ambulance attendances related to self-injury and suicide changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We extracted the data from the National Ambulance Surveillance System in Australia between March 2018 and March 2021 to examine the trajectory of the ambulance attendances related to self-injury and suicide. The results indicate that the number of ambulance attendances related to self-injury, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt increased immediately during the first quarter since the outbreak and stayed higher over the at least 12 months. Notably, the post-outbreak surge in ambulance attendances associated with these mental health crises did not continue to escalate further. To sum up, the overall increase in ambulance attendances may reflect increased distress in the community, but also signify disruptions of other non-emergency health services. In contrast to recent evidence for the suicide rate being unchanged during the pandemic, our findings provide a different perspective on the impact of the pandemic on mental health services. This warrants a re-assessment of resources for mental health services in the post-COVID era.