Why a national platform on epidemiological surveillance of suicide is necessary?

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION PLATFORM

Internationally

Every year more than 700,000 people die by suicide.

In Spain, it is one of the main causes of external death, exceeding 3,000 annual deaths and becoming the first external cause in 2019.3 It is a problem with an immense social significance and that, however, is not discussed in depth.

Invisible Problems

Suicidal ideas and attempts that do not end in death are problems that are even more invisible.

These are the great forgotten events within the continuum of increasing severity of suicidal behavior. Suicidal behavior does not come from nowhere, and it tends to be forged over time, starting from thoughts of suicide, to attempts and, unfortunately, sometimes to successful attempts.

In Spain, prevention plans are fragmented and different according to the different regions of the territory, partially complicating the homogenization of the treatment of these people.

In this context, the "National Suicide Prvention Platform" arises, which seeks to promote social awareness of the different social agents towards the creation of integrated action plans at the national level. It is associated with the national SURVIVE initiative focused on studying the profiles of suicide attempts and implementing effective prevention strategies in the hospital context.

Stay tuned as we develop the platform to access more news on suicide and national initiatives carried out to combat this immense metal health problem.

The first step in fighting suicide is knowing it.