Given the increase in suicides, it is urgent to implement psycho-education programs in Venezuela

In the first four months of 2023, the ONG Venezuelan Violence Observatory (OVV) in Guárico State registered a 200% increase in victims of self-inflicted violence (suicides) in tthis plains state.

By Pedro Izzo // Lapatilla.com Correspondent

According to the latest regional report from OVV-Guárico, between January and April 2022 they registered only 3 suicides, while in this same period of 2023, 9 victims were reported, according to the NGO’s monitoring of information published in the local press.

Given the increasing number of victims of self-inflicted violence in the state, the reporting team of lapatilla.com interviewed psychologist María Gabriela Rattia who highlighted, among other aspects, the importance of psycho-education to help families deal with depression and even suicide.

“There are multiple factors that trigger suicide, but it generally occurs because there is a difficulty in emotional management that does not allow the person to see solutions in the short, medium, or long term,” said Ms. Rattia.

She added that although there are those who do not pay attention to a person’s threats to take their own life, this threats should be seen as an alert sign, as well as hopelessness, psychiatric problems, excessive isolation, extreme changes in behavior, constant complaints about the physical or financial state and self-harm behaviors.

“One of the main recommendations to accompany a complex emotional process, in which a person may be at risk of suicide, is to first and foremost not to leave them alone for long, integrate him or her into the daily activities of the house where they feel accompanied but not overwhelmed,” she suggested.

Rattia warned that depression does not always manifest itself as sadness, discouragement and hopelessness or similar attitudes. “There are loads of people right now suffering from depression with a grin from ear to ear and others with bouts of constant irritability or what many call a short temper.”

Greater attention from the State

The psychotherapist emphasized that it is important to pay attention to emotional disturbances. If these persist for three months, she recommended seeking support from family members and especially from professionals in the field of psychology and psychiatry.

“When you feel that your emotional resources are exhausted, it is advisable to seek help on time. When you feel that hopelessness sets in, there is always a light at the end of the road that says: there is something else we can try,” she stated.

Rattia stressed that despite the efforts of different NGOs in the country to document and address cases of self-inflicted and intra-family violence, she considered it necessary for the State to implement programs to educate families about this.

“There should be programs that provide tools on what can be done in these cases, where to go, what is the first thing to do, how to approach a person who is in the process of suicide, what should not be said, because there are also things that should not be said so as not to increase the risk factor. This is the type of psycho-education that is needed,” remarked Rattia.

Finally, the psychologist explained that depression is a disease in which there is a failure in brain chemistry that leads to diverse emotional states, which are not controlled by one’s own will. “It is necessary that the approach be complementary, both psychiatric and psychotherapeutic. Pharmacological treatment is essential in these cases.”