Health and care

18/11/2024 - 13:47

Mental health. The suicide prevention helpline is part of Barcelona City Council’s suicide prevention strategy, within the Barcelona Mental Health Plan. The service has been jointly funded by the Government of Catalonia’s Ministry for Health since 2022.

Since its launch in August 2020, the City Council’s Suicide Prevention Helpline has received 20,000 calls in all. This figure once again shows the importance of handling this issue and the need for an open and accessible space where people can talk about it. Launched with the collaboration of the Fundació Ajuda i Esperança, the service specifically handles calls from people who demonstrate notions of suicidal behaviour, as well as calls from people affected by or close to others in such situations.

Out of the calls received, 52% were from women and 48% were from men. A total of 275 calls were about imminent or occurring suicides.

Freephone 900 925 555

The suicide prevention line operates around the clock, every day of the year. It is staffed by volunteers who are selected and trained in handling these types of calls. The service is coordinated and supervised by staff from the sphere of psychology, supported by a committee of experts with professionals linked to the Catalan government’s Suicide Risk Code, 061 emergency medical services, the hospitals of Sant Pau, Mar and Sant Joan de Déu, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the University of Barcelona, existing support associations and others.

In cases where the caller demonstrates suicidal intentions, thoughts or behaviour, the support protocol consists of receiving them, assessing the risk based on the circumstances and their personal context at that point, and providing emotional support without judging them or trying to convince them, but rather showing an interest in their needs, being respectful and recognising their suffering. In high-risk cases or where suicide is occurring, the protocol establishes the steps for contacting and activating the corresponding emergency services.

Two thousand suicide attempts a year in Barcelona

The World Health Organisation estimates that for every suicide there are some 20 attempted suicides. In Barcelona alone, that would mean some 2,000 suicide attempts every year. In addition, for every death by suicide the calculations are that 6 or 7 people close to the victim are affected directly and severely by the death. Suicide is actually the main cause of death among men between the ages of 15 and 44 in Barcelona, while among women it is the second cause after breast cancer.