It is not only the responsibility of family and friends, local governments are working and can do more. The important thing when these events recur is to truly support them.
Sad and diverse comments follow one another in the stupor of the moment, ‘why would he do that?’ ‘That was because he lacked faith’, ‘he was not able to solve the problem’, etc. The idea is to leave aside the clichés, the formalities to look good and be there, because people, as explained by the Mental Health coordinator of Pereira, Bibiana Restrepo, when they make comments like: “I’m bored, I don’t find any sense in anything and they verbalize that feeling, they are not calling attention, they are clear symptoms of mental health that must be addressed promptly, the same happens with unexpected crying.”
“Suicide is a multi-causal event, it has many explanations and we cannot predict when or at what time it will occur. There are times when this event is repeated over a period of time. People who attempt to take their own lives have been experiencing emotional suffering for some time and have not had the necessary help to enable them to address their situation in order to resolve it. There are no isolated events,” explained Restrepo.
From Psychiatry
Dr. Uriel Escobar, a great expert on the subject, provided data and concepts that help to understand what is happening: “The suicide phenomenon is not only seen here in Pereira, it is on a global scale, in fact the WHO issued an alert saying that the mental health of the population has been deteriorating. It cannot be seen as an isolated phenomenon, we specialists consider it as an indicator, this means that when a person is mentally and emotionally unwell, they have different manifestations; one is the behavior of self-elimination, another is the exercise of violence, another is the increase in depression and anxiety. It has been seen that in the post-pandemic period this has increased.”
In Risaralda, doctors Uriel Escobar and Rafael Alarcón conducted a pioneering study, asking the question: Why do people from Risaralda commit suicide? And they found a series of elements, among them, that the main reason is problems related to the emotional, sentimental part, breakups, death of relatives, “The other thing also has to do with illnesses such as depression, other mental illnesses and substance abuse.”
The doctor was asked if there was anything to be done and he said: “Of course there are many things that can be done. This is not a personal problem, it is a social problem and Public Health policies must be aimed at reducing it, because out of 100 people with suicidal thoughts, 5% do so, which means that those of us who have some responsibility must prevent the other 95% from doing so, through Public Health policies such as education, which is the basis for prevention, and improving living conditions.”
What is being worked on in Risaralda
The Mental Health and Coexistence Program of the Health Secretariat designed the strategy ‘Mental Health to the Rescue’, through which the Public Policy of Mental Health is executed and whose components converge in the prevention of suicide in the Risaralda territory. María Alcira Robayo Giraldo, coordinator of the program, explained that the strategy involves the preparation of social managers in mental health, enabled to activate the care route if necessary, they are able to attend the listening centers so that the community has a place where they can express their emotions and seek help in the face of mental health events.
Human talent is also being trained to support Community-Based Rehabilitation with a focus on mental health, which will be carried out in Quinchía with the Irra miners; in the Los Naranjos neighborhood of Dosquebradas and El Triunfo in Santa Rosa de Cabal. “These three sectors were chosen because a pilot test of community psychology will be applied in which the community itself will identify the problems that are being generated in mental health, the potential of the same inhabitants and the actions to address them.”
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, so it’s everyone’s job everywhere to truly support and not just look good.Help from the Mayor’s Office
They have several prevention programs, they also want to train more people in the Mental Health Manager course, there are no prerequisites, just helping others, in this course personal listening skills are strengthened and they learn the care routes through eight sessions with a certificate from the Ministry of Health.
There are two options for psychological counseling: one at the headquarters of the Secretariat, located at 19th Street #5-33, from Monday to Friday during office hours and on a first-come, first-served basis, free of charge. The other is telephone support that operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day, the number is 322 861 5710, which is also attended by psychology professionals.
Given
It has been observed that 60% of those who have opted for suicide are people between 16 and 32 years old, which is supposed to be the most productive period and the one with the greatest hope for the future, due to the lack of opportunities that leads to hopelessness, says Escobar.
Cipher
5.4 per 100 thousand inhabitants is the suicide rate in Risaralda, while the national average is 3.2 per 100 thousand inhabitants.
This is how the department is
This year in Risaralda, as of April 30, there had been 27 suicides, corresponding to 20 men and 7 women. Most of these cases (15) were recorded in Pereira, and in second place was Santa Rosa de Cabal with 5 cases.
In Virginia
The Mental Health program is promoted by the San Pedro y San Pablo Hospital, headed by Dr. Wildert Alvear, who stated: “The outlook in this municipality is much more positive. In emergencies and outpatient clinics, consultations can be made with associated disorders such as anxiety, depression and active consumption. For this, the Mental Health team provides support measures so that patients have opportunities, recognize that they have an illness that must be treated and can receive one-way care.”
Psychologist Johanna Vélez promotes the Listening Center, where people can find various occupational health activities and be guided to psychological care.
2024-07-09 05:40:28