FCM associates to the World Suicide Prevention Day
The 10th of September is the World Suicide Prevention Day promoted by the World Health Organization and the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Suicide is responsible every year for over one thousand deaths in Portugal – one death every 8 hours – and over 50.000 deaths in Europe. In the world, 3.000 people die by suicide every day. For each suicide, it’s estimated that 20 more people attempt to suicide. Despite that, suicide is one of the main preventable causes of premature deaths.
The Câmara Municipal da Amadora (Municipal Chamber) and the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, launched on the 18th of March the Project OSPI-Europe – Optimised Suicide Prevention Programs and their Implementation in Europe.
The research project aims to provide essential data for the implementation of suicide prevention programmes, planned in the National Mental Health Programme in all regions of Europe. In order to improve the mental health of populations, the project focuses mainly on people with depression and with suicide risk.
The project is being developed in 10 EU countries. In Portugal, Amadora is the city where it will be implemented as the result of a protocol between the Municipal Chamber and the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. The plan is based on scientific basis that matches five areas of intervention: cooperation with primary health care, public information campaign, cooperation with community partners, specific responses to patients and their families, and reducing access to lethal means.
