11/18/2023 – 14:15
A Brazilian project that aims to stimulate debate about suicide among young people, as a way of promoting mental health, will be presented in Budapest, Hungary, in April 2024, during the 32nd European Congress of Psychiatry. The initiative is the result of a partnership started this year in Rocinha, a community in the south of Rio, by Clínica Jorge Jaber and Associação Sociocultural Semearte, which promotes theater and dance in the region.
The work involves around 140 students aged 13 to 22 who participate in meetings with professionals in the field of psychiatry, including lectures, conversation circles and art. The objective of the two institutions is to stimulate discussion and clarify doubts and fears surrounding the topic of suicide, especially among young people.
Related news:
Psychiatrist Jorge Jaber, responsible for the work, highlights the importance of publicizing the project developed in Rocinha to the international psychiatric community. “This is a transformative initiative for the lives of these young people and can inspire many other actions around the world.”
The project had its first meeting on September 9th, the month dedicated to suicide prevention, at the Parque da Rocinha Library. The meeting served to measure the level of young people’s knowledge about suicide. They attended a lecture with experts on the topic and, together, evaluated the answers to the ten questions they received upon arrival at the event. The second meeting will be this Saturday (18), when young people will watch a video produced by filmmaker Cavi Borges, from Cavídio, who has been documenting the entire process.
The expectation of the president of Semearte, Talita Santos, is that these 140 young people who participate in the debates will become information multipliers and can help with prevention work. “Our purpose is to rescue lives through art, and mental health is a fundamental element.”
Sadness and apprehension
Recently, young people from Associação Semearte who study theater and dance in Rocinha lost a friend from the community and future member of the theater group, which generated sadness, apprehension and doubts among everyone regarding the topic.
Jorge Jaber reported that the suicide rate among young people grew 54% between 2009 and 2019, accounting for the second cause of death among this population, after traffic accidents. “And the World Health Organization [OMS] states that 90% of episodes could be prevented, which makes the problem even more bleak”, lamented the psychiatrist. In Brazil, among the approximately 12 thousand cases of suicide registered per year, a large proportion occur among people aged 15 to 24, according to the WHO.
Since last year, the doctor has been working in Rocinha in partnership with the Instituto Desportivo Cultural Haroldo Britto, which offers free judo courses to 80 children and young people between 7 and 14 years of age in that community and in Chácara do Céu. The objective of the two partnerships is to promote mental health through sport and art.
Jaber highlighted that many cases of suicide are associated with mental disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, problems that can be prevented and treated. According to him, meetings with the association’s students are a response to this need for prevention and treatment.
Sow
The Semearte Sociocultural Association serves around 140 children and teenagers and temporarily operates at the Parque Library in the Rocinha community, promoting theater and dance activities. In October, the group debuted, at Teatro Vanucci, the show Riverinspired by the 2011 animation of the same name, directed by Brazilian Carlos Saldanha and a huge success in cinemas.
Dance students perform at soirées at schools in the region. The goals for the coming months include deepening work with music and singing and creating a project for qualification in the audiovisual area to provide professional guidance to graduates.
See where to get help
Among professionals who deal with mental health and institutions specializing in suicide prevention, the idea of seeking (or providing guidance) for specific help whenever you feel the need for support (or realize that someone needs it) is unanimous. Here are some channels to receive attention and assistance:
– Hot lineprovides emotional support and suicide prevention, voluntarily and free of charge to all people who want and need to talk, under complete confidentiality by phone, email and chat 24 hours a day.
– Mental Health Mapwhich provides a list of volunteer service locations online and in person across the country.
– He can talk, a channel launched by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) to provide mental health support for adolescents and young people aged 13 to 24. It works anonymously and free of charge, indicating support and service materials.
#Project #Rocinha #stimulates #debate #suicide #among #young #people