Suicide is the most common cause of natural death in Spain. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, every day 10 people die by suicide in Spain. On the occasion of the International Suicide Prevention Day we spoke with Clara Rubio, president and co-founder of the Catalan Association for the Prevention of Suicide.
What is the task carried out by the Catalan Association for the Prevention of Suicide?
The association was born in 2012 but for 5 years we have focused on two objectives. On the one hand, we have the objective of raising awareness, that is, that society knows death by suicide and be able to make the taboos that surround this death disappear. This is very important because breaking the taboo allows us to talk about the problem when we come across a risk case. As long as there is a taboo, prevention and the accompaniment that we do to people will always be more complicated because the environment will not understand that it may be a situation that affects them directly.
On the other hand, once a week we serve in Barcelona Care Centre of family and friends of people at risk. This specialization that we have acquired over the years has given us the possibility of approaching a particularly neglected group. The person who has a partner, child, parent or friend who has attempted or is verbalizing possible suicidal behavior does not have a space of trust where they can request more specialized resources.
Suicide is the leading cause of unnatural death in Spain. Why don’t we talk about suicide?
We have a very strong Catholic heritage that has filtered, punished and judged this type of death. In our subconscious and in our cultural heritage, guilt and responsibility for death by suicide is very present in society in the face of the environment. When a person commits a death by suicide or makes an attempt, the blame falls on the environment and that is why there are so many limitations to speak in an open and natural way. Another reason is the ignorance of the problem. We want to break it down and make it known that it is something totally multifactorial, that it does not fall on the responsibility of a single person in your environment and that it depends on different risk factors. You have to be prepared to face it, seek professional help and get out of the situation.
How does this taboo affect the emotional management of the relatives of people who have committed suicide?
It has very important affectations for the relatives. If I live with a person who is at risk, it is difficult to manage emotionally because this taboo is precisely what does not allow me to speak openly and clearly about the situation. Family and friends do not know who to talk to and that affects them when it comes to finding solutions and tools to overcome the situation. Another difficult moment is at the moment of the duel. Guilt and taboo cause the cause of death to be covered and not accepted for not being identified as a possible culprit.
Suicide is often associated with people who were “not strong enough” or “not brave enough.” What does it mean at a social level to reproduce this type of stereotype?
This is one of the myths most associated with suicide: the person who has died by suicide is not brave enough to face life or has a certain economic level or has very serious problems. But we cannot forget that suicide is multi-causal and that economic or social well-being is not exclusively what can lead a person to make this decision.
It is true that there are certain trends. Studies indicate that more men die by suicide, that there are more people over the age of 45 who die by suicide, or that in 90% of cases there is a diagnosed serious mental illness. There are factors that allow us to anticipate and work on suicide death but we cannot limit it to a specific effect. We must have a lot of empathy with people who commit suicide or who have suicidal behaviors because they may be in our environment, our family, friends or colleagues.
How can a suicide be prevented? What can I do to help someone at risk?
There are suicide prevention plans at the national, local, health centers … but at the micro level and as individuals there are also many ways to prevent suicide. To begin with, normalizing it and speaking openly is essential. If we cannot talk about it we cannot provide resources or professional help.
If we live in a direct and close way suicidal behavior, what we have to do is a correct referral and make sure that the person is within the mental health circuit. From there, being able to be a person of proximity and reference without judging, listening openly and accompanying her in this process; beyond your therapist or other measures.
What are the most common warning signs in which we should be aware of a possible case of suicide?
Warning signs will vary greatly from person to person, but there are some more common ones. Basically, they can be verbal or non-verbal. The verbal ones are obviously related to the verbalization of hopelessness, the loss of hope for the future, the lack of will to live … Or if the person is thinking of closing processes or saying goodbye. On the non-verbal, there would be changes in behavior, unexpected mood swings, excessive consumption of substances … there are many different components. In any case, the importance must be transferred that 9 out of 10 people who make an attempt have given an alarm signal or indicator that anticipated their action. So we have to be very attentive to these red flags.
If you know of someone at risk, you can contact the association through email or WhatsApp.