The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands has launched a campaign to prevent suicidal behavior through the general directorates of Mental Health and Addictions and Public Health of the Canary Islands Health Service, which this year has the slogan “Let's end the myths about suicide. The Canary Islands is committed to reality.”
The objective of the campaign, aimed at young people and adults, is to provide guidance on suicidal behaviors to those affected and those close to them, which, in the face of erroneous population ideas (myths), provides truthful and scientifically proven information (reality). Its dissemination will take place from today through the social networks of the SCS and the Ministry of Health.
Prevention website stopsuicidiocanarias.com
In addition, the SCS is launching today the website stopsuicidiocanarias.com for the prevention of suicidal behavior with basic self-help tips, what to do if you have suicidal thoughts, coping strategies for those affected and their relatives both in the face of suicidal risk and after an attempt, and the care resources that can be accessed, both in Primary Care and in the SCS Mental Health Network, among other topics of interest.
These are actions contemplated in the Canary Islands Mental Health Plan 2019-2023, which includes a specific Strategic Line dedicated to suicide prevention. Derived from this, since 2021 there has been a Suicide Behavior Prevention Program that includes, in addition to updated scientific knowledge, actions and guidelines for temporary implementation and prioritization, as well as an expansion of its scope in certain areas.
Among the actions of the Suicide Behavior Prevention Program in the Canary Islands are strategic lines aimed at the general population and the different social sectors so that suicide, considered a public health problem by the WHO, is addressed in an intersectoral manner and not only from health systems.
Suicide prevention protocol in the educational field
In this sense, the SCS has developed a protocol for prevention and intervention in the face of suicidal risk for educational institutions, the purpose of which is to implement the actions to be adopted by professionals in the school environment in the event of detection of suicidal risk, in coordination with the Canary Islands Health Service. The document has been prepared by a multidisciplinary team of professionals from Mental Health, Public Health, Primary Care, Education and Social Services.
The protocol, in the final review phase of the document, begins with the training of teachers through a first edition of the course that will begin next Monday, September 11, with the aim of having it implemented in this school year.
In addition, also on the 11th, the Online Suicide Prevention Course for healthcare professionals will begin, financed with Next Generation EU funds. Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, whose objective is to update knowledge and improve training to carry out preventive actions against suicidal behavior, evaluation and intervention in all phases, including postvention.
Clinical psychologists in Primary Care
Suicide prevention is a priority for the SCS, which is developing various actions with the aim of preventing risk. In this sense, clinical psychologists are being incorporated into Primary Care to reinforce Mental Health activity in the community setting and a protocol for care for patients with suicidal risk or behavior in hospital emergency services has been initiated.
Preventive tools
With regard to the clinical field, the SCS has professionals trained to detect and address suicidal behavior, both in Primary Care centers and in specialized resources of the Mental Health Network. In 2022, according to provisional data from the National Institute of Statistics, 4,079 suicides were registered in Spain, of which 223 took place in the Canary Islands. Of the total, 173 are men and 50 are women. Although the INE's provisional data are not yet available by age, the trend in recent years in the Canary Islands places the incidence in the most affected age groups between 40 and 69 years, followed by those over 70.
Another effective tool for suicide prevention is the 024 telephone helpline, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. It is free, accessible, immediate, confidential and is staffed by experts to provide support to people with suicidal behaviors, family members and relatives and intervene, if necessary, in complex high-risk situations.
Other actions
The SCS has developed various training actions with professionals from the Addiction Care Network and the Primary Care Network, as well as training actions aimed at media professionals and healthcare professionals from 1-1-2 and hospital emergency services. In 2022, the tool for consultation in Primary Care was also updated for better care of people with suicidal risk and information campaigns for suicide prevention aimed at the general population have been launched.
2023 Campaign: Myths and realities about suicide
World Suicide Prevention Day is commemorated this year as an opportunity to raise awareness and mobilize the population about suicide prevention. To this end, the General Directorates of Public Health and Mental Health and Addictions of the SCS disseminate a series of informative pieces on social networks through the Healthy Canary Islands channel, following the recommendations of the Pan American Health Organization campaign.
The dissemination campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the problem of suicide, as well as guiding people on how to act when they suspect that another person is having suicidal thoughts and suicidal risk. It includes information on the myths and realities related to suicide.
