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The rise in mental health issues and suicide in childhood and adolescence: the role of SPES Program in prevention
In recent years, there has been a worrying global increase in mental health issues during childhood and adolescence [1], with a significant rise [2] in problems related to suicidality, including suicidal ideation and suicide attempts [3].
Suicide is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, influenced by genetic, psychological, social and cultural risk factors, often linked to traumatic experiences and loss [4]. Although some risk factors are known, such as male gender, previous suicide attempts, untreated psychiatric conditions, self-harm and family history of suicide [5], it is not possible to predict with certainty who will carry out an extreme act.
However, protective factors, such as a supportive social network and a positive environment, can help reduce the risk [6].
The World Health Organization has identified suicide prevention as a public health priority, proposing targeted strategies to reduce suicide rates by one third by 2030 [7]. These strategies include limiting access to lethal means, promoting responsible media communication on suicide, strengthening adolescents’ social and emotional skills, and ensuring early identification and timely treatment for people at risk.
In this context, SPES Program is a concrete prevention tool, designed to work alongside local and national initiatives that promote mental wellbeing and reduce suicide in Italy.
The programme aims to increase protective factors and reduce risk factors through a multi-level approach involving the individual, their community and society as a whole.
Bibliography
Bibliography
[1] AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
[3] Pediatric Mental Health Hospitalizations at Acute Care Hospitals in the US, 2009-2019
[4] Preventing suicide: A global imperative
[5] Il suicidio. Considerazioni in un’ottica di prevenzione
[6] Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents | Pediatrics
[7] LIVE LIFE Initiative for Suicide Prevention
[8] Papageno.news
[9] https://coripe.unito.it/salutementale/#argomenti, sito di CORIPE, sostenuto da Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, che raccoglie informazioni utili e risposte alle domande più comuni riguardo all’accesso ai servizi e ai supporti disponibili.
Learn more
Learn more
Websites in Italian and English
Websites in Italian and English
Resources to better understand suicide:
PrevenzioneSuicidio.it, an Italian website entirely dedicated to suicide prevention;
Suicide, the WHO page dedicated to suicide prevention, with updated global data;
www.papageno.news, an Italian website dedicated to responsible reporting on suicide.
Tools for interaction and for identifying young people at risk:
The Columbia Lighthouse Project, a US website dedicated to sharing the most appropriate ways to ask questions about suicide. A short free online course is also available in Italian;
Salute mentale: i segnali per riconoscere un disagio negli adolescenti | Save the Children, a Save the Children page with advice on how to recognise signs of distress in adolescents.
General resources on mental health issues in childhood and adolescence:
Salute mentale | UNICEF Italia, pagina dell’UNICEF dedicata alla salute mentale in infanzia e adolescenza.
https://sinpia.eu/comunicati-stampa/, pagina dei comunicati stampa della SINPIA, Società Italiana di Neuropsichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’adolescenza
Comunicato Stampa N°08/2023 - Gli adolescenti italiani dopo la pandemia nella fotografia dell’ISS: 1 giovane su 2 ha dichiarato un effetto positivo nei rapporti famigliari, ma 2 su 5 ne hanno riconosciuto gli effetti negativi sulla salute mentale, comunicato stampa dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità sugli adolescenti italiani.
https://minotauro.it/news/, pagina del centro il Minotauro di Milano con una rassegna di articoli sull’adolescenza
Libri
Libri
Suicide Prevention in Adolescence – Tatarelli R., Pompili M., Alpes, Rome, 2009: clearly summarises the key steps for effective suicide prevention in adolescence.
When School Is Wounded. Interventions after a Student’s Suicide – A. Piotti, G. De Monte, FrancoAngeli, 2017: analyses what happened in several schools after the suicide of a young person, with the aim of understanding the most common reactions caused by such a deep and painful wound.
What Our Young People Need. The New Adolescents Explained to Parents, Teachers and Adults – Matteo Lancini, UTET, 2020: a book that supports parents and teachers in the difficult task of guiding today’s adolescents.
Adults Without Reservations. What Helps an Adolescent – Philippe Jeammet, Raffaello Cortina Editore, 2014: a book for those who work with young people, offering guidance on how to support them as they grow.
Suicide Attempts in Adolescence. Meaning, Intervention, Prevention. The Area G Seminars – edited by Eugenia Pelanda, FrancoAngeli, 2008.
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