The 26.8% of the children of Catalonia between 11 and 18 years they have self harm ever (64.1% have never done it and 9.9% do not respond). The 43.4% of them have had thoughts of dying These are the results of the emotional well-being survey that the Health and Education departments carried out in May between about 270,000 students from fifth grade to high school and also professional training and in which some 1,900 educational centers participated.
These two ‘consellerias’ have presented this Wednesday the ‘Guide to address suicidal behavior and self-harm in schools’. suicide attempts in girls have increased 195% due to the pandemic and 10% in children. However, the deaths by suicide in children under 18 have remained stable: the incidence in Catalonia is 1.9% or 2% per 100,000 inhabitants. “This is thanks in part to programs like Codi Risc Suïcidi that incorporate the minor into the mental health network”, pointed out the director of the Psychiatry Service of the Parc Taulí Hospital (Sabadell), Montserrat Pamies.
“East study [de bienestar emocional en escuelas] it is unprecedented. And they are data that must continue to be studied”, has valued Anna Chillida, General Director of Alumnat. Chillida has positively highlighted that the “vast majority” (79.4%) of children and adolescents consider that their state of health is excellent, very good or good.
However, covid-19 has wreaked undeniable havoc on the mental health of minors and young adults. The child and adolescent mental health centers (the CSMIJ, which are part of the primary care network) received a 23% more visits compared to 2019. The psychiatric emergencies in minors they increased by 28.5%. The hospitalizations due to a mental health problem they raised a 40%
These are figures provided by Aina Plaza, General Director of Health Planning and Research. It has highlighted that, although in general the children’s perception of their own health is positive, this percentage has been declining since 1994. That year, the 94% They had a positive perception. But between 2012 and 2017, the percentage dropped to 85% or 89%. In 2020 it did so at 75%. And in 2021 it recovered slightly (a 83%) but it is still a lower percentage than in 1994.
In addition, as collected in June the Health Survey of Catalonia (ESCA), the probability of suffering a mental health problem among minors from 4 to 14 years has been increasing since 2015. That year, the risk was 4.2%. In 2019, it was 7.5% but in 2020, due to the pandemic, it rose to 10.6%. In 2021, again, it fell slightly again, standing at 9.4%, but these figures are still higher than in the pre-pandemic years.
“It is true that the pandemic has had an effect on the entire population, but we have seen that children and adolescents have suffered very directly from the impact of confinement, restrictions and the use of the mask”, Plaza has pointed out. she has called a addressing the problem of mental health from a perspective not just sanitary. “We can’t solve the emotional discomfort only from Salut. Afers Socials and Educació are necessary”, he said.
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The guide that Health and Education have presented this Wednesday to treat suicide attempts and self-harm seeks “give very clear instructions” to the teachers so that they know “how to accompany”, Chillida stressed for his part.
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