Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on self-harm and violence among patients presenting to the emergency department.

Importance: Considering the resurgence of COVID19 and the rapid spread of new and deadlier strains across the globe understanding the incidence and pattern of violence and self harm tendencies during this period might help in formulating better contingency plans for future lockdowns. A deeper look at the available data shows that there is a significant dearth of research into self-harm & violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To identify the incidence and sociodemographic characteristics of self-harm and violence during the COVID19 lockdown and compare with a control group from the previous year.