Braxia Scientific Corp announced that a new study on coronavirus (COVID-19) and suicide rates, led by its Scientific CEO Roger McIntyre, was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
The study, titled ‘Suicide reduction in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons informing national prevention strategies for suicide reduction’, suggests public policies and strategies for reducing suicide rates in the country.
The Toronto-based research company shared that the study was initiated to evaluate the impact of federal, public health, and support programs on national suicide rates, which were launched to mitigate the abrupt changes to social and financial situations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: Braxia Scientific CEO Roger McIntyre to join Lamar Odom and Zappy Zapolin in panel discussion on ketamine treatment for mental health
"Reducing the rate of suicide rates is one of Braxia Scientific's core objectives and should be a national imperative in Canada and globally," said McIntyre in the release. "The findings presented in this research should be used to inform public policy and develop strategies for decreasing suicide rates in Canada.”
The overall suicide mortality rate decreased in Canada from 10.82 deaths per 100,000 in March 2019 - February 2020 to 7.34 per 100,000 in March 2020 - February 2021, an absolute difference of 1,300 suicide deaths, the research revealed.
Simultaneously, the Canadian unemployment rate widened from an average monthly rate of 5.7% in 2019 to 9.5% in 2020.
While the suicide rates were low, the study pointed out that there was increased availability of virtual psychiatric healthcare, including psychotherapy and counseling services.
"In addition to public policies that prioritize psychiatric services generally, especially for persons at risk for suicide, we believe that we can reduce the rate of suicide even further through the innovative ketamine treatments we are providing today and through new potential derivatives in the future,” said McIntyre.
He continued, "With the current and upcoming clinical trials at Braxia Scientific centers, we are working hard to investigate the effects and potential of psychedelics like ketamine and psilocybin as therapies for treatment-resistant depression and other brain-based disorders that are associated with suicide."
Psychedelic substances like MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD are reemerging in the mental health sphere for their potential therapeutic benefits to public health.
The results of the study also added that government interventions broadly aiming to reduce measures of insecurity — related to finances, housing, and health — and providing timely psychiatric services, should be prioritized as part of a national suicide reduction strategy, not only during but after the termination of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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