In light of World Mental Health Day on Friday and following the suicides of two students from a school in Castro Daire, Viseu district, the coordinator of the Programa + Contigo declined to comment on the cases, stating that the program is not involved in this particular situation.
The coordinator emphasized the importance of strategies to prevent such incidents, including paying attention to signs of distress among young people, especially mental suffering, avoiding isolation, and creating support networks.
They highlighted the need for offices where young people can seek assistance and be heard “without critical or moral judgments,” validating the distress and, if necessary, referring them to more specialized healthcare services.
The mental health and psychiatric nurse, recently appointed as the clinical coordinator of the National Suicide Prevention Line 1411, stressed the importance of collective involvement in prevention efforts.
“Peers of adolescents exhibiting such behavior are crucial, but so are parents, neighbors, teachers, and health professionals. It’s everyone’s responsibility, and we must all work towards this,” he asserted.
José Carlos Santos warned against excessive dramatization, stating: “We are obviously talking about deaths, which is always tragic, and we must not undermine the pain, but we should also be mindful not to overemphasize symptoms or feelings that are normal in adolescence and development.”
In these situations, young individuals can reach out to the school psychologist, health center, or the hotline 1411, which provides support and addresses concerns.
Established in 2008, the + Contigo initiative promotes mental health and the prevention of suicidal behaviors through school and primary healthcare interventions, involving healthcare professionals, adolescents, parents, teachers, assistants, and municipalities.
“It involves classroom interventions for students and specific sessions for parents, teachers, and operational assistants,” he explained.
The coordinator stated that when a suicide occurs in a school, the program provides ongoing support throughout the year to aid the educational community and prevent a “contagion effect” among other youths.
Additionally, all necessary and possible networks are activated to address the situation.
Although the adolescent suicide rate is relatively low in Portugal (about four per thousand inhabitants) compared to other countries, the coordinator argued that “it deserves the utmost attention.”
He explained that suicides in Portugal predominantly affect the elderly, but among young people, there is a growing concern about self-harm behaviors, such as cutting, which do not involve suicidal ideation but serve as a cry for help that should not be ignored.
“These behaviors raise concerns as they surpass a significant phase before suicidal behavior, which is the ability to harm oneself,” he alerted.
He advocated that such youths should receive professional health support to understand the root of their behavior and improve strategies to cope with pain or problems they might be facing.
In the last academic year (2024-2025), the program evaluated about 18,000 students, with 41% displaying mild depressive symptoms and 26.5% moderate to severe symptoms.
Some 2,069 adolescents were identified as being at risk of suicidal behavior, with 70.6% being girls.
According to the coordinator, around 200 students were referred to specialized care services.
So far, the program has reached approximately 80,000 students in 1,215 schools across all districts of the mainland and islands.
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Support and suicide prevention contacts:
National Suicide Prevention Line – 1411
SOS Voz Amiga 213 544 545, 912 802 669, 963 524 660
Conversa Amiga 808 237 327, 210 027 159
SOS Estudante 915 246 060, 969 554 545 or 239 484 020.
