Between January and August 2024, the Center for Psychological Support and Crisis Intervention (CAPIC) of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) received 4,837 calls that required psychological intervention, representing a monthly average of 604 occurrences, the institute announced in a statement.
Created in 2004, CAPIC currently consists of a team of 31 clinical psychologists with specific training in crisis intervention, psychological emergencies, and psychosocial intervention in disasters.
According to INEM, these professionals provide psychological support for telephone calls received at the Urgent Patient Guidance Centers (CODU) 24 hours a day and, when necessary, travel to locations through the Mobile Units of Emergency Psychological Intervention (UMIPE).
The data released today on the occasion of National Psychologist Day, which is celebrated on Wednesday, indicates that in the first eight months of 2024, CAPIC received 650 fewer calls than in the same period of 2023, with 64% of users who used this service being female.
“Suicidal behavior, emotional or behavioral changes, or critical incidents were the main reasons that led to contact with this INEM service,” the institute reported.
The UMIPE has registered an increase in the number of activations compared to 2023, having been activated for 922 situations this year, 292 more than in the same period of the previous year.
The activation of these mobile units can occur in situations such as the beginning of the grieving process following unexpected or traumatic death, assistance to victims of accidents or their family and friends, situations of imminent risk of suicide, psychiatric emergencies that imply life risk for the individual or others, or intervention with victims of abuse or sexual assault, INEM added.
CAPIC can be contacted through the European Emergency Number – 112.
