The Atria Lanzarote Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals, through its Health Commission, will hold next Thursday, April 20, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Hotel Lancelot Playa (Arrecife), a talk open to the public which, under the title "Suicide in Lanzarote. Awareness of a growing reality", aims to bring to the society of Lanzarote the details of the situation on our island and especially the prevention mechanisms in the face of one of the issues whose growing incidence is of most concern in Lanzarote regarding mental health.
The talk-colloquium will feature Paula Fernández del Barrio, legal and forensic psychologist; Francisco de Sande Díaz, psychiatrist from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit, and Marta Ceñal, president of GAMAS (Mutual Support Group Affected by Suicide), according to the association. At the end of the talk, attendees will be able to participate and ask the questions they consider of interest, they explain.
According to Atria, ""suicidal behavior is a very present problem in our society." Taking into account that the data indicates that "suicides have been increasing in the Canary Islands since 2007." In Lanzarote, in 2021, 25 suicides were recorded, a figure that exceeds the 11 suicides that were recorded as a maximum annually in the last 15 years, they emphasize.
"It is important to address this issue in a serious and rigorous manner"
"This increase in the incidence of suicide is a cause for concern for Atria", and the organization considers that "it is important to address this issue in a serious and rigorous manner, focusing on prevention and minimizing its negative effects", they acknowledge.
This increase of more than double requires for Atria a serious and rigorous approach, focused especially on the prevention of suicide and on the recommendations to minimize its negative effects, as well as acting to reduce the suffering that the loss entails due to an event of these characteristics. Atria also considers that a sensitized and informed community is the starting point for its prevention.
Atria also wants to thank the Hotel Lancelot for its collaboration in holding this event and remind that "admission to this event is free, until full capacity is reached".
