In the frame of the ‘World Suicide Prevention Day’, which is commemorated today, Ministry of Health (Sometimes) published the worrying figures on the incidence of suicides in Peru so far this year. According to these data, during 2022, 513 deaths have been registered for this cause.
Likewise, the entity specified that, of that figure, 55% corresponds to adolescents and young people; that is, 283 cases.
In addition, the general director of Diris Lima Sur, Junior Rodríguez, specified that the suicide rate in said population has increased in relation to previous years.
“We have quite alarming figures. Generally, a rate of 2.2% of suicides from 12 to 25 years was managed. Currently we have a rate of 3.6% only in adolescents and it is also a statistic that, for each suicide carried out, there are 20 people who have attempted it, “he said.
Suicides happen daily
According to Freddy Vasquez Gomezhead of the suicide prevention program of the National Institute of Mental Health Honorio Delgado – Hideyo Noguchi, in the country, between 3 to 4 people take their own lives a day, and every 22 minutes someone tries to do it. In this sense, he specified that the suicide it is an extreme condition, where the human being liquidates himself, because he believes that his problems have no solution.
For this reason, Vásquez considered it essential to speak openly about the subject and not keep it as a taboo or as a punishable act.
“It must be spoken with caution so that parents, the community and public opinion know how to approach it, know what is behind it and what can be done when it is mentioned. suicide“, he pointed.
In this sense, the psychologist Sometimes, Maria del Pilar Lunaargued that talking about the subject can identify a behavior suicidal. For this reason, he referred that it is important for the population to be attentive to changes in a person’s behavior such as alterations in eating and sleeping, loss of interest in their hobbies, their studies or their work, or carelessness in their appearance staff.
“The first thing the person with suicidal ideas should not do is isolate themselves and should look for a person they trust to express their concerns and if they feel that they are irritated, that they cannot sleep or eat, they should ask for professional help through the health,” he recommended.
higher incidence
On the other hand, according to studies by the National Institute of Mental Health (INSM), 80% of suicides they occur in people with depression, a disorder that has increased in the country during the pandemic.
However, the INSM specified that many suicides occur impulsively, in moments of crisis that can affect the ability to cope with vital stressors such as economic problems, breakup of a couple, the presence of pain and chronic diseases, violence, abuse, loss and feelings of isolation, are strongly linked to suicidal behavior.
For this reason, the institution warned that special care must be given to vulnerable groups that suffer discrimination, such as refugees, immigrants, the LGBTIQ+ population and the population deprived of liberty, as well as survivors of any type of violence.
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