10 Jun, 2022 @ 17:41
1 min read

New national suicide prevention hotline in Spain takes nearly 15,000 calls in first month

Number of people taking their own lives totalled 4,227 in Spain last year
Imagen de Holger Langmaier en Pixabay

A new national suicide prevention hotline took almost 15,000 calls in its first month of operation in Spain.

The government said the ‘024’ hotline attracted an average of 400 calls day since launching on May 10.

650 callers were redirected to emergency services who identified 290 cases of people they saved from taking their life.

Associations, groups, and political parties called for the creation of the service, prompted by increasing mental health concerns during the Covid pandemic lockdowns.

Figures showed that attempted suicides grew by 30% during the pandemic.

The new hotline service is free and totally confidential.

The average duration of the calls is between 14 and 20 minutes- but as much time as is needed is taken with callers who are at imminent risk of taking their life.

Younger people and children are seen as especially vulnerable.

The Foundation for Helping Boys, Girls, and Adolescents at Risk said earlier this year that calls to its number had risen 20-fold in the last decade, with self-harming callers 56 times higher over ten years.

READ MORE:

Rare Codex Turns Up After 84 Years When It Disappeared During Civil War In Spain
Previous Story

Rare medieval codex turns up 84 years after vanishing during Civil War in Spain

deer rescue wildfire infoca
Next Story

WATCH: Heartwarming moment young deer is rescued from wildfire zone in hills above Spain’s Costa del Sol

Latest from Health

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press

How Expats in Spain Can Access Uk Online Slots Games

Living as an expat in another country comes with a

Reasons to visit Costa del Sol beyond the beach

Born and raised in Malaga, Cristina Reina is a travel