Abstract
BACKGROUND: Globally, there is talk of excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to examine whether this excess mortality is not only caused by fatal disease progression, but also by violent deaths associated with the pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a retrospective study, 825 autopsy reports from the Leipzig Institute for Forensic Medicine for the year 2020 were evaluated, including 72 suicides and 14 homicides, which were examined for a connection to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the criminal investigations and the statistics on the causes of death from the respective competent authorities for the years 2015-2020 were included.Data were entered anonymously and evaluated descriptively. RESULTS: Overall, 5 of 72 suicides (6.94%) and 1 of 14 homicides (7.14%) were motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of suicides in Germany fell overall between 2015 and 2020. Across Germany, there was no significant increase in suicides in 2020, whereas the number of suicides in Saxony rose by 8.7% (not significant) in the first year of the pandemic, 2020. DISCUSSION: In the Saxony sample examined, around 7% of the suicides and homicides were motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Motives included travel and exit restrictions, fear of infection with COVID-19 and changes in the social environment caused by the pandemic.The COVID-19-related excess mortality can therefore also be attributed to pandemic-associated violent deaths.It is intent to continue research on data for the second year of the pandemic (2021).