The results of the intervention carried out in 2024-2025 by healthcare and educational professionals nationwide were released on Wednesday at the Nursing School of the University of Coimbra (ESEUC), a co-promoter of this national program, with the Directorate-General of Health (DGS) as a partner entity.
According to the data from the national coordinating team, 2,069 adolescents were at risk of adopting suicidal behavior, with 70.6% being girls.
José Carlos Santos, coordinator of the Mais Contigo program and a lecturer at the Nursing School of the University of Coimbra, highlighted that there remain “greater vulnerabilities among young girls compared to boys.”
The mental health specialist mentioned that, similar to previous years, by the end of the intervention, it was possible to reduce depressive symptoms and increase self-concept in both groups, with 93 adolescents referred to primary healthcare and 69 to specialized care.
“We truly made a difference. There were 162 adolescents who, without the commitment of the Mais Contigo facilitators, would possibly be in mental distress, without any specialized care or help,” he asserted.
During the 2024/2025 academic year, the Mais Contigo program covered 18,561 adolescents, the highest number since the program began, with 16,996 questionnaires validated.
The program’s facilitators reached the entire country, including the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, totaling 310 educational institutions (including school clusters, non-grouped institutions, and private schools).
So far, the program has reached approximately 80,000 students in 1,215 schools across all districts of the mainland and islands.
Additionally, the initiative has already trained over 800 healthcare professionals (doctors, social workers, and psychologists) and involved around 13,000 teachers and operational assistants.
Funded by the National Coordination for Mental Health Policies [of the National Health Service], the Mais Contigo program is part of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and is recognized as a good practice by the DGS and the ICN — International Council of Nurses.
