Dr. Simon Hatcher and Dr. Jennifer Demtrichuk awarded funding to explore the relationship between COVID-19 and suicide

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Simon Hatcher and Dr. Jennifer Dmetrichuk (Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, University of Toronto) have jointly received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to explore why suicide rates have not increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as originally expected.

The goals of this research program are to:

• Compare the characteristics of suicides before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Determine how suicide rates in Ontario changed during the province’s pandemic state of emergency.

• Determine whether suicide deaths during this period can be linked specifically to the pandemic.

• Assess the relationship between opioid overdoses, suicides, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Examine the differences in outcomes between those who have survived an opioid overdose before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research program will help us determine what effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on suicide rates. It will also shed light on the relationship between the opioid crisis and suicide deaths. The results of these studies will help to inform targeted suicide prevention strategies.

We are very thankful to our generous funders, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, as well as fellow investigators and research team members.