On September 10th, we commemorate the “World Day for the Prevention of Suicide“, the minister of Health Public, Victor Atallahsaid that mental health must be addressed without myths and urged support to those who are going through a situation that leads them to attempt to take their own lives.
Through a press release, the owner of Health He indicated that, in the case of suicidethis It can be prevented in 95 percentsince it is an expression of an illness derived, many times, from other behaviors such as addictions, but it does not reflect weakness or cowardice, but rather requires support from institutions, the family and society in general.
He explained that the annual rate of suicide in the country is located between 6.5 and 7 per 100 thousand inhabitantsbelow the most developed countries, but it is not an alarming situation, nor is it a reason to faint, since strong actions are required to reduce its incidence.
“The average global suicide rate is 9.49, 14.5 in Cuba and 14.2 in the United States, however, this statistical advantage is no reason to neglect the impact of the problem in the country.”Minister of Health
Atallah assured that since the Government Mental health is being given high priority as a commitment to strengthening the services offered.
In this context, the official pointed out that “although sometimes suicidal behavior is not predictable (5% of cases), it should not be forgotten that any person who, for whatever reason, is considered at risk of assuming a behavior of this nature can be helped, not only with the initial intervention of mental health professionals, but mainly with a preventive component that involves the family, the social group and an education aimed at eliminating the myths surrounding the act of suicide.”
The minister urged the media to not highlighting the details of the suicidesuch as the methods used or motives for the action because they “encourage suicidal behavior in people at potential risk.”
Prevention
Dr. Eladio Pérez, Vice Minister of Health Collectivecalled on everyone to be aware that suicide can be prevented in most cases and that its occurrence can be avoided or reduced by giving it importance without being influenced by prejudices.
“Efforts have been increased to reduce the number of cases through the use of fundamental tools for the preventionsuch as education and the availability of mental health devices and professionals accessible to the entire population,” the epidemiologist assured.
Connect and listen
The psychiatrist also participated in the activity Jeanette Taveraswho spoke about collective responsibility for prevention of the suicidewith the people most prone to this problem being adults over 65 years of age, contrary to the idea that this phenomenon only affects the young population.
The mental health professional cited some myths related to suicide and what are the realities of those people who often want to connect with someone and be listened to.
“Sometimes we pretend to have everything, we see the external appearance and it seems to us that they are doing very well, but it is quite the opposite, in their mind they are thinking about the suicideso we have to pay attention to them and be very careful,” he said.
The activity was coordinated by the Department of Mental Healthled by Dr. Alejandro Uribe, who called on the population and family members to support people who are experiencing anxiety and depression.
He “World Day of the Suicide” is commemorated with the aim of raising awareness and strategies for the preventionThis year the motto is: “Changing the narrative“.
