The Directorate General of Mental Health of the Balearic Islands’ Regional Ministry of Health has launched new projects within the Suicide Prevention Plan of the Balearic Islands (2022-2026), focusing especially on people over 65, a particularly vulnerable group.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, in 2023, 29% of suicides involved people in this age bracket. In 2024, emergency service 061 recorded 90 suicides (22 women and 68 men), averaging one death every four days.
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Mental Health launches new initiatives to prevent suicide among people over 65
The initiatives include group workshops on emotional management, community support networks, and psychoeducational programs to strengthen resilience and detect early signs of distress or suicidal risk.
The plan also expands prevention efforts in other areas:
- University level (UIB): training and audiovisual resources to raise awareness and build skills in suicide prevention among students, faculty, and staff.
- Secondary schools: extension of the pioneering figure of educational psychologists, with a total of 79 professionals in both public and subsidised schools.
- Patients with severe illness or chronic pain: specialised individual and group psychological support to reduce suicide risk.
- Professional training: over 1,000 healthcare, social, and police professionals are trained each year in suicide prevention and intervention.
- Reinforced support services: creation of a multidisciplinary coordination team and the inclusion of clinical psychologists in the 061 emergency service for rapid intervention.
To mark World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), a conference by psychiatrist María Velasco is being held in Palma, along with the 7th Balearic Islands Solidarity Run and Walk in Binissalem, aimed at raising awareness and breaking the stigma surrounding suicide.
Helplines:
- Emergency: 061 11 20 24
- Hope Line: +34 971 46 11 12