The Senate has hosted a Health Commission focused on a key Public Health issue such as mental health. The arguments of the different speakers have agreed on two main ideas: lhe need to promote the National Suicide Prevention Plan, given the increase in cases among young people and solve the problem of the lack of professionalsincreasing the number of psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses dedicated to mental health.
In the Commission, they have appeared before senators from the different political groups that make up the Chamber, the General Council of Official Nursing Colleges of Spain (CGE), the Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health (SEPSM) and the Regional Coordination Office of Mental Health and Addictions of the Community of Madrid, which have focused on giving priority to mental health and specifically suicide prevention, whose numbers are increasing and increasingly among the younger population.
And in this case the data is devastating in terms of figures: In 2022, 4,227 completed suicides were recorded in our country, that is, 11 suicides every 24 hours. Of that figure, it should be noted that 341 people were in the age group between 15 and 29 years old. and they were mostly men. Although it is worth highlighting the fact that in 2023 suicides decreased by 6.5% thanks to strategies such as Line 024 among other measures.
Nursing opinion
The intervention of the General Council of Official Nursing Colleges was led by Diego Ayuso Murillo, secretary of the CGE, who argued his appearance on several main topics. First of all, has highlighted the need for a National Suicide Prevention Plan, “in which nurses would have a lot to say and do because we are prepared for it.””, he stated.
He has also advocated the need to promote the mental health specialty in nursing “which already exists,” he noted, “but which we must fully develop because in many Autonomous Communities this figure does not exist,” Ayuso added. At this point, the secretary has emphasized that the nursing profession has the capacity and training to make a comprehensive assessment of citizens. “We nurses have a holistic vision that includes biological, physical, social and mental points of view,” he added.
The expert has also highlighted the importance of the figure of the school nurse to prevent suicide cases among children and adolescents. “The ratio of school nurses is one for 6,700 students, when the European average is one professional for 750 students,” he noted. There are 2,225 school nurses in Spain and more than half are in Madrid, which has made a strong commitment to these professionals. “We ask for a School Nursing Law,” Ayuso added.
Ayuso also highlighted another point during his intervention and that is the mental health of the professionals. “Take care of those who take care of us” he stressed. At this point he has highlighted the importance of reclassifying the nursing category to level A1 like other professionals. “So that we can access management positions like other professionals,” he noted. It has also given importance to the fact that there are few nursing positions available and the fact that many nurses leave. “Last year, 1,425 nurses asked to go work abroad due to lack of job stability,” he indicated. “14% of the nurses that we train annually in our country leave,” Ayuso added.
On the other hand, Ayuso has insisted on the need to increase the ratio of nurses, which in Spain is 6.3 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants, “well below the European average, which is 8.8,” Ayuso pointed out. “We need more nurses in general, but many more in mental health in particular,” he concluded.
psychiatry
The turn of the scientific societies has been represented this time by Marina Díaz Marsá, president of the Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health (SEPSM), who has focused her appearance on the need to create a National Plan against suicide. “Because the Plan is proposed, but it needs a budget to implement it”, he recalled.
Díaz recalled the magnitude of the problem of child and adolescent suicide. ““Suicide is the leading cause of non-accidental mortality among young people.”he pointed out. Suicide is a circumstance that occurs due to multiple causes, such as substance abuse, abuse of social networks, unwanted loneliness or lack of conciliation, which are factors that precipitate mental disorders. “Mostly psychosocial factors, because 90% of suicides are associated with mental disorders of one kind or another,” Díaz explained.
“We are talking about 15 or 20% of the population suffering from anxiety, depression or what is called a common mental disorder.”he explained. Furthermore, he added “90% of people who commit suicide have attempted it at least 20 times before, so it is something preventable,” he indicated. “Attention must be paid to the most vulnerable groups such as young people, the elderly, migrants, the LGBTI community, people who have lived traumatic experiences or people with serious mental disorders,” the expert insisted.
“We must prevent the consumption of toxic substances such as cannabis, fight against marginalization and social isolation and seek the integration of people with mental disorders into the labor market,” García highlighted.
But to carry out this prevention we must return to the essential problem of all health sectors, the lack of personnel. In this case, the ratio of psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants is 12 professionals. “It is difficult to do psychotherapy when you have more than 30 patients on your agenda,” Díaz stressed. “In addition, we have the same problem as nurses, many psychiatrists are going to retire and many others who are trained are going to Ireland where their salaries triple,” he noted.
““We need the Suicide Prevention Plan to be put into action now, for there to be a political consensus that is born from scientific evidence and for us to not fall into ideologies.”the expert concluded.
CAM Mental Health and Addictions
The coordinator of the Regional Office for the Coordination of Mental Health and Addictions of Madrid, Mercedes Navío, has been in charge of giving voice to the CCAA, remembering that the National Suicide Prevention Plan It is necessary, “but to do it you need a budget”, he expressed along the same lines as other speakers.
For example, in Madrid, he continued, “more than 100 million euros have been invested since 2018, of which more than 80% were allocated to hiring professionals.” On the other hand, Navío has highlighted that Madrid has its own Suicide Prevention Plan. “That is why the capital has the lowest suicide rate in Spain,” he noted.
“Regarding suicide, we work in a multisectoral manner, this is the plan, with a public health model with the participation of all administrations and ministries, adding consensus so that all the actors that articulate civil society are aligned.”, he explained.
Regarding the increase in suicides among young people and children, Navío has highlighted that with their anti-suicide strategy they work with education and with families to provide information and prevention for children. “And that is what we believe they should do at the national level,” he concluded.
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