The Department of Health will spread Catalonia with black spots with a slogan aimed at the families and surroundings of people susceptible to developing suicidal behavior: “If you know someone about to fall into the pit of suicide, listen to them and ask for help at 061” .
The street action is part of the “Don't let him fall into the pit of suicide” campaign that the Generalitat started in December. Its objective is to prevent death, especially in men over 50 years of age, one of the most affected groups.
In 90 selected points in Catalonia, a vinyl in the shape of a black dot measuring 260 centimeters in diameter will be pasted on the ground, symbolizing the place – the mouth of a well – where people with suicidal ideation can be found. The first vinyl was installed this morning in the Plaza Universitat de Barcelona.
The initiative seeks to place emphasis on the detection of warning signs and prevention by the environment, so that risk situations are not trivialized and accompany and help the susceptible person. “Detecting suicidal ideas before an attempt occurs is essential to prevent inevitable losses,” states the Department of Health. “We ask the environment to reach out to people who are in this situation, and to reach out is to call 061,” said Minister Manel Balcells.
Most of the black spots, which will be implemented in municipalities of the 10 Catalan health regions, will remain for a month. The rest will be removed after 15 days.
Since a suicide prevention section was launched on 061 on June 20, 2022, 21,392 telephone queries have been answered. The age group with the highest number of users corresponds to people between 41 and 65 years old, followed by those between 26 and 40 years old, according to Salut.
The calls are answered by specialists in psychiatry, psychology and nursing, in charge of activating the ambulance and other emergency services when they detect an imminent risk of suicide. In other cases, an attempt is made to facilitate the linking of the user to the healthcare network.
Episodes of suicidal ideation in people over 18 years of age increased in Catalonia by 16% last year compared to 2022, according to provisional data from the Codi Risc Suïcidi. In 2023, 1,904 episodes (ideations and attempts) were identified in men between 26 and 64 years old, which represents a rate of 116 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, 10% more than in the previous year.
The National Institute of Statistics indicates that in 2022, 614 deaths due to suicide and self-harm were reported in Catalonia.
