Background: The effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the population's mental health and well-being are likely to be profound and long lasting.Aims: To investigate the trajectory of mental health and well-being during the first 6 weeks of lockdown in adults in the UK.Method: A quota survey design and a sampling frame that permitted recruitment of a national sample was employed. Findings for waves 1 (31 March to 9 April 2020), 2 (10 April to 27 April 2020) and 3 (28 April to 11 May 2020) are reported here. A range of mental health factors was assessed: pre-existing mental health problems, suicide attempts and self-harm, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, defeat, entrapment, mental well-being and loneliness.Results: A total of 3077 adults in the UK completed the survey at wave 1. Suicidal ideation increased over time. Symptoms of anxiety, and levels of defeat and entrapment decreased across waves whereas levels of depressive symptoms did not change significantly. Positive well-being also increased. Levels of loneliness did not change significantly over waves. Subgroup analyses showed that women, young people (18–29 years), those from more socially disadvantaged backgrounds and those with pre-existing mental health problems have worse mental health outcomes during the pandemic across most factors.Conclusions: The mental health and well-being of the UK adult population appears to have been affected in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increasing rates of suicidal thoughts across waves, especially among young adults, are concerning.

Purpose of review: This systematic review aimed to distil recent literature investigating psychosocial factors which may account for the association between personality disorder (PD) and suicide attempt or suicide death. Recent findings: Suicide risk is particularly elevated in people with PD compared to those with no, or many other, mental health diagnoses. Despite this, suicide prevention strategies for PD populations have not progressed markedly in recent years. It is critical, therefore, to identify additional factors associated with suicide in PD populations. Summary: Of the 34 studies included in this review, most identified a relationship between personality disorder and suicide attempt and/or death. Historical interpersonal factors (e.g., childhood trauma), drug and alcohol use, and ideation-to-enaction factors were commonly associated with suicide-related outcomes. Interventions that provide interpersonal support may reduce suicide attempts. Limitations of the review include the heterogeneity of studies and small sample sizes.

Over 703,000 people die by suicide every year. The association between loneliness and self-injurious thoughts and behaviours has received increasing amounts of attention, with a significant link consistently being identified. However the impact that different types of loneliness have on physical and mental health remains under-researched. The current study aimed to explore how different forms of loneliness might be associated with self-injury, based on findings from existing theory-driven research. This cross-sectional online study investigated three types of loneliness (family, romantic, social) as well as loneliness as a unidimensional construct (global loneliness) in relation to suicidal ideation and several established variables associated with suicidal ideation (defeat, entrapment and depression). 582 participants (age 18-70 years) completed the survey between May and October 2021. Results showed that all forms of loneliness were associated with suicidal ideation, and all loneliness measures significantly, independently, moderated the association between entrapment and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, depression significantly mediated between family, romantic and global loneliness and suicidal ideation, but not social loneliness. The findings suggest that the quality and/or quantity of family, romantic and global relationships, should be explored when considering loneliness as a possible risk factor for suicidal ideation and may have a significant impact on mental and physical health. In particular, romantic loneliness may have a particularly adverse association with negative affect and suicidal ideation. Future work would benefit from replicating these findings longitudinally.

Previous research has highlighted the role of social determinants of health on mental health, but their impact on suicide is less understood. The aim of this umbrella review was to systematically examine the association between 10 social determinants of health, as defined by the World Health Organization, and suicide mortality. A key word search of titles and abstracts was conducted in six digital databases for studies published up to August 24, 2023. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the association between these determinants and suicide. Methodological quality was assessed using an adapted AMSTAR-2 tool. A narrative synthesis, structured by social determinant, was conducted. A total of 49 records (n = 25 meta-analyses and 24 systematic reviews) were included in this review. Determinants with the most available evidence were housing, basic amenities and the environment (n = 21); income and social protection (n = 13); unemployment (n = 8); and early childhood development (n = 6). Limited evidence was identified for education (n = 3), social inclusion and nondiscrimination (n = 3), and working-life conditions (n = 3). No reviews examined the relationship between affordable health care services, structural conflict, or food insecurity and suicide. There was evidence of a modest effect of social determinants on suicide mortality. Most evidence related to unemployment, job insecurity, income and social protection, and childhood adversity. The methodological quality of the included reviews varied considerably. High-quality research fully exploring the relationship between social and environmental factors and suicide risk is needed.