2024-01-16 02:04:15
Death by suicide continues to rise: 607 Catalans took their lives in 2022, 5% more. Suicide, the leading cause of death among young people: how to detect the warning signs?
Suicides are at historic highs. In 2022 they exceeded 4,000 (specifically 4,227 took their lives), a barrier that had never been surpassed despite the fact that voluntary deaths have been increasing, inexorably, since 2019. In this context, adolescent suicides between 15 and 15 are of particular concern. and 19 years old, which have gone from 53 to 75 (comparison between 2022 and 2021), which implies a growth of 41.5%. The number of 75 suicides in adolescents is the highest since 2000. And to this we must add that in the first half of 2023 (latest data available, from the INE death statistics, recently published) another 30 have died. teenagers.
If in 2021 the high number of child suicides drew attention, given that 22 children between 10 and 14 years old died from this cause, now in that period it has returned to “what was unfortunately common” (12 deaths), but “ The increase in adolescent suicide – from 15 to 19 years old – is worrying, especially in men (44 boys and 21 girls),” explains Andoni Anseán, president of the Spanish Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Also noteworthy are the deaths of those under 30 years of age (excluding children), which have gone from 316 to 341: 7.9% more. Furthermore, for the first time, in all five-year periods under 30 years of age, suicide exceeds the other two most frequent causes of death. Thus, compared to the 341 suicides, there were 320 deaths in traffic accidents and 276 due to tumors.
Differences by sex
Most suicides are committed by men. Although the prevalence of mental illnesses in women is higher, when it comes to committing suicide, the rate is much higher in men (3,126 men took their lives in 2022, compared to 1,101 women). However, among young people (15 to 29 years old) “women’s suicide is of concern”, which has gone from 79 deaths in 2021 to 117 in 2022: almost 61% more.
Furthermore, the highest suicide rates in history have been recorded, both in total (8.85 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) and by sex (13.34 in men and 4.52 in women).
These figures indicate that, since the pandemic arrived, there has been “an increase in mental health problems and suicidal behaviors” that indicate and ask “that we be alert,” according to Anseán.
The causes
Suicide is a multifactorial problem, which the pandemic has brought to light because young people “have lost the modesty to say that they suffer from a mental problem and to ask for help.” But the increase in demand for assistance “has brought out the colors” of the system, given the scarcity of resources and the impossibility of absorbing all the demand.
Spain has an average of six psychologists per 100,000 inhabitants in the public network, while the European average is 18.
Psychologist deficit
Spain has an average of six psychologists per 100,000 inhabitants in the public network, while the European average is 18. This shortage means that the majority of people who have to go to a psychologist pay for it out of their own pockets.
Likewise, other factors that could explain the increase in suicides are related to economic precariousness, the lack of perspectives among young people, changes in culture and habits, and the massive use of social networks, which generate isolation and great differences between people. more and less popular people, especially at early ages. Experts also speak of an alarming imitative effect.
Faced with this, the Spanish Foundation for the Prevention of Suicide demands a great national pact similar to the one that was forged against sexist violence, endowed with “real” budgets. The objective is not only to increase the care resources of the national health system but also to prevent mental disorders and suicidal behavior. To this end, the entity demands that emotional education be taught in schools and institutes, “with the aim of going beyond mere care for the sick and preventing mental problems before they appear.” Patricia Martin
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