Key Points

Currently available data do not indicate an increase in suicidal behavior across any age group during 2020 in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Nevertheless, the observed indicators highlight a decline in mental health among residents of Nouvelle-Aquitaine since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has intensified in 2021 among those under 18:

• An increase in emergency room visits for mental health issues has been observed since late 2020 among 11- to 14-year-olds;

• In 2021, the number of emergency room visits for suicidal acts and suicidal thoughts among 11- to 17-year-olds remains higher than what was observed in previous years during the same period;

• An increase in emergency room visits for mood disorders among those under 18 has been observed since late 2020;

  • Among those aged 18 and older, the number of SOS Médecins* calls for depressive states has remained higher than usual since January 2021;

  • Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of SOS Médecins services for anxiety has been higher than what is typically observed in previous years.

  • During the summer months of 2021, there was a downward trend in healthcare utilization for certain mental health disorders among young people, followed by a marked increase at the start of the school year (see analysis of the last two months).

Due to a strike by SOS Médecins associations that affected the data, the analysis of SOS Médecins indicators for the last two months has not been conducted.

Learn more

• Mental health: view the epidemiological reports for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region

• Mental health: view the epidemiological reports for all regions

• Mental health: view national epidemiological updates

• Visit our page on the CoviPrev survey, which tracks changes in behavior and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic

• Visit our "Mental Health and Covid-19" page

• View our thematic dossier on Mental Health