Help ourchildren

Authorities to take action as suicide rates among Spain’s teens soars

WITH rates of suicide creeping up alarmingly among teens in Spain, school teachers are being trained in techniques to support at-risk youth.

The move has been driven by the shocking statistic that 2022 saw 84 young adults take their own life, according to the INE - the highest rate since records began.

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By Regina Roberts

The soaring rate at which young people have reported an increase in feelings of loneliness, situations of violence or abuse, and depression are thought to be contributing factors.

Psychologists with the Educational Inspectorate are deliv- ering the training which it is hoped will reverse this worrying trend.

All of the autonomous communities in Spain currently have suicide pre vention plans in public and private school environ ments as required by the law. These plans involve telling students about risk factors and warn ing signs, and em ploying specific measures for those who have exhibited suicidal tendencies.

However, psychologists adamant that in order to make an impact within schools, the education system needs to incorporate professionals trained in prevention strategies within schools.

War on mozzies

VALENCIA City’s pest control unit has been kept busy with 118 complaints about tiger mosquitoes in June alone.

The Patraix, Pobles del Sud and Quatre Carreres districts have seen the most interventions, with June the busiest month so far.

Leading psychology authorities, including the General Council of Psychology of Spain and The Official College of Psychology of Madrid, have been fighting to create the role of educational psychologist in all of the autonomous communities.

Currently, it has only been implemented in eight of the 17.

Another plan being proposed is the creation of a ‘student helper’ role across the community. Students chosen for this are given the respon - sibility of watching out for warning signs amongst their peers as asrisk adolescents usually seek support from a trusted peer prior to an authority figure.

Visits to areas infested by mosquitoes involve a sweep of a radius of around 150 metres to eradicate the pest.

The unit works all year in the constant battle against the insect, with ditches and marshes of lakes inspected during the winter, as well as regular inspections of urban areas that are regarded as sensitive.

Guidance

They include hospitals, health centres, transportation centres, and landscaped areas that have a historical presence of mosquitoes.

The council has been running the ‘Door to Door’ project since 2019 where neighbourhood associations, owner communities, and any individual resident can request information and training on the fight against tiger mosquitoes. The pest control unit also runs educational talks and workshops as well as distributing guidance to anybody who requests it.