President of the Mental Health Federation of the Region of Murcia
The president of the Federation of Mental Health of the Region of Murcia (Feafes), Pilar Morales, is “horrified” by “devastating” figures of suicides among those under 29 years of age. «We have a very high concern, because this is our youth. If we are generating conflicts and problems at these ages, what will happen next? », She warns. And she qualifies that the data refers to 2021, “coming out of the pandemic, when our young people have just gone through the worst of confinement.”
–These data show the influence of the pandemic on the mental health of young people…
-It has been very noticeable. The associations attached to the federation are present in eleven municipalities of the Region. They offer talks on mental health and addictions in schools and institutes. And, as a result of the pandemic, the demand has risen a lot in educational centers because they detect a significant increase in problems. In Águilas, for example, we have had to hire a psychologist dedicated only to schools. A psychologist paid by the federation, this is not being paid by anyone.
–But here they are not reflected, however, the young people who have tried to commit suicide and have not succeeded.
– Indeed, those 21 young people are the ones who have achieved it. But for every person who succeeds, there are twenty others who try. It’s beastly. And three out of four suicide bombers are men. We just have to look around us. And we get scared: how, what so-and-so…? Yes Yes. But it is necessary to clarify one thing. A suicide attempt does not mean that you have a mental illness, nor that you have depression. There are people who do it because they don’t see themselves as capable of feeding their family. Or you have had a financial bankruptcy. Or his company, which was his life, has collapsed. Or she feels so alone and abandoned that she says ‘why am I here?’
MENTAL HEALTH
«You don’t have to have a mental illness to reach the horror of suicide; there are those who do it because he does not see himself capable of feeding his family »
Because there is no way out…
-Yes. But you have to realize the horrific suffering that person has, so brutal and devastating, that it makes them unable to see any way out, no light to be able to continue with their life. And then he decides to take it off. But I repeat that it is not necessary to have a mental illness to arrive at the horror of suicide.
–Is the administrations and public institutions doing enough to address and solve this problem?
–We work very closely with the Mental Health Management and we push them a lot. We work on the street and we know what the situation is. It is true that resources have increased, things are being done. But all you move in Administration is a big monster that requires 40,000 approvals, and you have no agility. For anything, you need a year or a year and a half.
– What is the most urgent thing that must be done to stop the increase in suicides?
-We have to talk. You have to talk about suicide. And not only in isolated forums. On the street. You have to teach people that there are places and people that can help. That you can get out of that anguish that leads to seeing suicide as the only alternative. You can get out of that hole. We know many who have.
–What will the 2022 figures be like?
-Bad. Although we do not have the data for the Region of Murcia, the national figures show an increase in suicides of 5.1% in the first six months of the year compared to the first half of 2021.
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