Lesões autoprovocadas no Brasil entre 2017 e 2024: perfil sociodemográfico, variação temporal e distribuição regional no contexto da pandemia de COVID-19

Abstract

Self-inflicted injuries constitute an important public health problem associated with multiple social, institutional, and subjective determinants. In Brazil, the strengthening of health surveillance and the expansion of mental health policies contributed to greater epidemiological visibility of these events, especially after the incorporation of violence into the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). However, challenges related to underreporting, regional inequalities, and the understanding of the recent distribution of notifications in the country still persist. This study aims to analyze the epidemiological profile, temporal variation, and spatial distribution of self-inflicted injuries reported in Brazil between 2017 and 2024. This is a descriptive epidemiological study with a quantitative approach, ecological design, and descriptive temporal analysis, using secondary data obtained from SINAN. Notifications classified as self-inflicted injuries from 2017 to 2024 were included. The analyses comprised descriptive statistics, temporal analysis, and spatial distribution of notifications according to sex, age group, race/color, education level, and region of residence. The results identified 1,010,487 notifications of self-inflicted injuries during the analyzed period, with predominance among females, young adults, White and Brown individuals, and progressive growth of notifications in the post-pandemic period. A higher concentration of records was observed in the Southeast and South regions, as well as a high frequency of events occurring in the household setting and records indicating previous self- inflicted injury. Poisoning/intoxication was the most frequent mechanism of aggression. The findings reveal important sociodemographic and territorial inequalities in the distribution of self- inflicted injuries, reinforcing the need to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, prevention strategies, and mental health care within the Brazilian Unified Health System.