The Mental Health Federation of the Region of Murcia has joined the #NoBlameNoSilence campaign, promoted by the Mental Health Confederation of Spain on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day, which is commemorated this Thursday, September 10. The initiative aims to give visibility to the grief that follows the suicide of a loved one and help break the silence and stigma that still persist around this reality, according to the federation itself.
The campaign focuses its message on the emotions that usually accompany this type of grief, such as guilt, shame, anger, or the doubts that arise after the loss. According to the Mental Health Confederation of Spain, it is estimated that for every suicide, at least six people are profoundly affected.
This action, funded by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption, and Agenda 2030, aims to alleviate the guilt and shame that family members, friends, and people in the environment of someone who has died by suicide may feel, in addition to facilitating their ability to express what they feel and access appropriate support.
The latest closed data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) indicates that in 2024, there were 3,953 deaths by suicide recorded in Spain, of which 2,902 were men and 1,051 women, representing a decrease of 3.9% compared to 2023. It is the second consecutive year of decline, although suicide continues to be the second leading cause of external death, only behind accidental falls.
In the Region of Murcia, entities of the mental health associative movement carry out different prevention and support actions in the face of suicidal behaviors. Among them is ÁPICES Mental Health Cartagena, which has a community mediation program that receives people referred from the hospital after a suicide attempt, as well as family members and users who seek help after having expressed suicidal thoughts.
The psychologist responsible for this program, Eva Guillamón, details that one of the first tasks consists of conducting a comprehensive analysis of each person's situation, in order to detect economic, social, family, or psychological factors that are influencing their suffering.
Based on that evaluation, the team tries to connect the person with existing resources and supports, in addition to offering them a space for listening and emotional accompaniment. "When a person thinks about taking their life, many times they do not want to die; what they want is to stop suffering," points out Guillamón, who adds that the work focuses on identifying the factors that affect the person and trying to address them through the available resources.