Begona Fernandez |
Madrid (EFE) .
The psychologist Junibel Lancho, creator together with the La Barandilla Association of a telephone against suicide, says this in an interview with EFE, who asks the classmates of that adolescent who one day expresses that he does not want to continue living or admits that he harms himself “Don’t shut up” and let an adult, counselor or teacher know, because “better to lose a friend than the life of that friend”.
“I can’t with so much pain” is the book that Lancho has just published, from the publishing house ‘La esfera de libros’, and which summarizes in the title the phrase that is repeated the most in his practice, since his patients arrive with a level of depression or major mental disorder.
On the world day for adolescent mental well-being, this psychologist wants to make it clear that suicide can be prevented and that there is hope to deal with mental disorders, but we must ask for professional help and not trivialize the problem by parents thinking that it is It’s about “teen stuff.”
70% of adolescents who self-harm attempt suicide
One of the definitive warning signs is self-harm. 70% of adolescents who commit suicide have subsequently attempted suicide and 55% will attempt it on multiple occasions.
These self-injurious behaviors, Lancho explains, are associated with eating disorders (anorexia at this age has increased by 200%), mental and personality disorders, sexual or family abuse, bullying and cyberbullying, depression and adolescents of non-hetero sexuality
Lancho insists on the importance of shedding light on these behaviors so that professionals can act, and that can be made visible by the environment.
When an adolescent self-harms, it is because his emotional pain is tremendous and he cannot express it, for this reason he inflicts physical damage that temporarily separates him from what he is suffering emotionally.
A subject that works emotions
And given that adolescents have problems managing the emotional tsunami they are experiencing, Lancho proposes that schools and institutes include in their teaching plans a subject that works with emotional intelligence so that children and adolescents know how to manage their emotions, not hide them and have tools to face a frustration or a moment of great sadness.
Lancho also believes that teachers should receive training because they are the first to detect the problem, even before the parents.
This psychologist assures that the mental health of adolescents has worsened in the last decade and blames it on social networks, which “have brought falsehood. They are only good when we know how to use them”.
It also warns of the role of parents, “who are often not there” either because of their work life or reconciliation problems. And this lack of a social network affects the mental health of the youngest, who are isolated in “single-family families” compared to those of a while ago where they had the support of grandparents and cousins.
Suicides can have a knock-on effect on adolescents
With the background scenario of recent weeks where an adolescent committed suicide and two others saw the attempt frustrated, Lancho warns that these events may have a knock-on effect on adolescents with a still immature prefrontal cortex of the brain.
Call effect that is not found in the case of the adult population with suicidal ideation.
Lancho also asks not to delve into reporting how a suicide occurred, nor what was the method used because this does not favor the adolescent, but he does insist that “suicide can be prevented, that we can get out of this and what to talk about.” it saves lives.”