World Suicide Prevention Day, celebrated on September 10, reinforces that asking for help is an act of courage and strength. Yellow September gains prominence around the world and the year’s motto is announced everywhere: “If you need it, ask for help!”. With the campaign, it is hoped not only to reinforce a message for the population, but to create a more empathetic environment for all people facing emotional and psychological challenges. The campaign is especially important for teaching families to identify risky behaviors in adolescents, who are currently one of the most vulnerable groups to anxiety and depression.
Increase in mortality rates
A survey carried out by the Health Surveillance Secretariat, linked to the Ministry of Health, concluded that there was a 49.3% increase in suicide mortality rates among adolescents aged 15 to 19 in the period from 2016 to 2021, while among adolescents from 10 to 14 years old, the increase was 45%. The numbers are alarming and highlight the urgency of effective actions for the annual suicide prevention campaign.
“Teenagers face a number of unique challenges, such as school or academic pressure, the search for an identity within their circle of friends and, especially today, exposure and comparison to other individuals on social media. These are points that increase the vulnerability of young people with issues of self-esteem and sociability. And families that do not understand their teenagers during this period tend to involve them, even more, in desperation to overcome their personal difficulties”, says Thales Paim, psychiatrist and specialist in Family Therapy.
Signs of depression
Contrary to what many people think, the signs of depression do not just involve the severity of suicidal thoughts or self-harm. The progression of the disorder begins almost imperceptibly, such as frequent mood swings, permanent irritability or sadness, social withdrawal, loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, insomnia or excessive sleeping, weight gain or loss, and decline in school performance.
Given these signs, it is essential that teenagers receive support from friends and family who, with the actions of Yellow September, can have more information about depression or other internal conflicts, be able to address these issues at home and, above all, guide them to seek appropriate help, with the integrated professional support of the psychologist and the psychiatrist.
“Depression is a treatable condition, and the right support can make all the difference. It’s not just teenagers who need to understand their own disorders, because, in most cases, they won’t even know how to act to resolve them. But with a support network that welcomes them and tries to find out about depression, it is easy for young people to see, together with those closest to them, new opportunities to improve”, argues Paim.
About Thales Paim:
Graduated in Medicine from the University of São Paulo and specialized in Psychiatry from the Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto, Thales Paim is a specialist in Chemical Dependency and Family Therapy and has participated in a series of international Psychiatry and Neurology congresses. In addition to face-to-face consultations in São Paulo, the psychiatrist also works in a telemedicine format for patients from all over Brazil.
