“The increase in deaths by suicide continues to rise and is already three times that of deaths caused by traffic accidents”.
The number of adolescents and young people, with depression or suicidal tendencies, who go on to self-harm, has increased by 50% in three years in the province and in the Valencian Community, with Psychologists now agreeing that the delays by public health, who are taking up to six months to provide mental health appointments, or the two months that it takes to obtain a private consultation, is seriously affecting the mental health of many children.
Alicante psychologists have said that more than 50% of mental disorders manifest themselves during adolescence, which is when personality begins to crystallize, and significant changes occur; hence the importance of carrying out early intervention to “reduce the suffering of young people” and to prevent mental health problems from developing and often becoming chronic.
Although the months of restrictions brought about by the pandemic are now behind us, many were spent in isolation, with many people experiencing little or no social contact, and even now the situation has not been reversed, despite our return to normality.
“There has been a gigantic collapse in public health during the last six months that has also had an impact on the private sector, with a waiting list of more than two months,” says one specialist who has his own practice in Alicante. This aggravates the depressive symptoms when many are looking for a solution and their symptoms often become chronic.
Comments like “what a disgusting life”; “what a s**t situation”; and the lack of desire to live, of enthusiasm or motivation, is what adolescents describe most in their consultations with psychologists, as well as not knowing what to do, what direction to take, or what goals they should aim for, with considerable fatigue and lack of energy, blocking and preventing them from taking action that would elevate their mood.
This means that around 15% of adolescents present severe or moderately severe depressive symptoms, with suicidal thoughts around 10.8%; but only “a low percentage” of young people receive the treatment they need, according to Unicef studies.
Furthermore, half of the children who call the Alicante telephone of Hope (965 13 1122), a 24-hour service that answers over 200 calls a year from youngsters considering suicide, have serious symptoms of depression and they are getting worse. This is a situation “mainly linked to problems with their relationships, whether with adults or peers. They do not have people to share their problems with,” says Germán Ricardo, head of the association in Alicante.
Nicolás Condés, psychologist and coordinator of the association Proyecto Hombre, also agrees with the hopelessness in the future of young people, with the conformist attitude and short-term thinking, “it is difficult for them to be enthusiastic about projects.” “These problems usually occur in the adolescents and young people we treat, but lately more people have suffered from depression, who tell us that they are trying to cut themselves and often do, and also with negative and hopeless thoughts, about which we adults are not helping,” he said.
Specialists state that depression can become ” a serious health problem”, especially when it is recurrent, even if it is of moderate intensity; and that it can cause “great suffering”, affect school and family activities and, in the worst cases, lead to suicidal ideation or behaviour and increase the probability of consuming substances.
For this reason, they say it is imperative that they ask for help, when necessary, because this allows for early intervention that can contribute to reducing suffering and avoiding greater chronicity or discomfort in young people. “That is why it is important to make this reality visible and break the stigmas or false myths that still exist around mental health and that can cause young people not to dare to ask for help.”
