He suicide It is a problem of public health complex and multifaceted, associated with the mental health.
The information collected by the Citizen Security Data Analysis Center in Dominican Republic (Cadseci) shows high rates in the suicide ratewith an average since 2007 of about 624 cases per year.
The year 2023 ended with 669 suicidesplacing the rate at 6.8 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, while in 2022 it was 6.3 suicides for every 100 thousand inhabitants, an increase of 0.5 points.
This was highlighted by clinical psychologist and psychotherapist José Alejandro González, during the 4th virtual congress Asodopsi 2024organized by the Dominican Association of Psychology Professionals.
The specialist pointed out that the fact that at least two suicides every day in the countryit’s alarming.
“We are bad because it is growing every year, the ideal is not to compare ourselves with rates of other countries in the region but to see our reality,” González commented.
So far this year 2024, the General Directorate of Epidemiology counts 22 cases of suicidal ideation, 59% affected the female sex in the age group of 20 to 39 years in 64% (14) of the cases.
Look at other countries
According to the World Organization of the Health (WHO) every year, about 700,000 people take their lives.
In the Dominican Republic for the year 2022 the suicide It represented 13.5% of accidental and violent deaths, being the fourth cause of violent deaths.
In the Region of the Americas, an average of 98,000 deaths were reported due to suicide per year between 2015 and 2019, with the rate of suicide in North America and the non-Hispanic Caribbean higher than the regional rate. 79% of suicides in the region occur in men, although women have attempted suicide rates suicide higher.
In Latin Americathe rates of suicide tend to be lower compared to other regions of the world, yet they represent a major problem of public health. In 2019, the rate of mortality from suicide The highest was in Guyana, with 40.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by 25.4 in Suriname and 21.2 in Uruguay. Among the countries that have the lowest rate of suicides There are: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Grenada with, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.7 per 100,000 inhabitants respectively.
95% of suicides are preventable
González explained that “each case is individual and cannot be generalized,” although each suicidal ideation is born from “a search to nullify the pain.”
“He who commits suicide does give signs, but it is not always a direct sign, but there are always signs, that is why the WHO supports that 95% of cases are preventable“, he said in his talk “Prevention of suicide from an inter-institutional perspective”.
He stated that suicidal ideation can arise from a psychotic, melancholic impulse, or a lack of control of emotions.
Demographic Bulletin
He Demographic Bulletin and Social 2023, prepared by the National Office of Statistics (ONE), highlights that, although the rates of suicide are higher in men, women tend to seek more psychological and psychiatric help.
In 2019, 119,850 psychological consultations were registered for women compared to 71,661 for men. By 2023, these numbers have increased to 122,250 for women and 74,342 for men.
Regarding the age range, of the 669 cases in 2023, 95 deaths were in adults over 65 years of age; 73 in people between 30 and 34 years old and 67 in the 40 to 44 year old group. It is striking that the statistics record two deaths in children between 6 and 9 years old and 13 in young people between 10 and 14 years old.
By geographic location, 125 of the suicides They were notified in Santo Domingo; 84 in Santiago; 57 in the National District; 36 in San Cristóbal and 35 in La Altagracia.
Most of the suicides are linked to the depression or to problems of mental healthrepresenting 59.52% of the cases. 19.29% were for undeclared reasons, and 14.70% are related to family conflicts, domestic and gender violence.
Reducing suicide rates requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach involving all sectors of society, from government and health services to communities and families, promoting an environment of support and empathy for those facing crises. emotional.
The Ministry of Public Health assures that it is redoubling efforts to improve early detection and offer support to those who are at risk, emphasizing the importance of seeking help and accessing available resources for mental health, with the aim of preventing suicide.
In this sense, the “Take Care of Your Mental Health” Contact Center is operational 24 hours a day, every day of the week, by calling the number 809-200-1400.
In addition, the Ministry carries out constant monitoring of events that affect public health, focused on mental health and suicide prevention, which allows emerging problems to be identified and intervention strategies to be adjusted through a robust collection and analysis system. of data.
Among the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was included the objective of guaranteeing a healthy life and promoting well-being for all at all ages and the goal that, between now and 2030, premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through their prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being.
