The “season to be jolly” has a terribly dark side for vulnerable persons who battle suicidal thoughts, a psychiatrist has warned, as he launched a 24-hour phoneline to offer support during the 10 days of Christmas.
“Some of the cases I handle during the festive period are people who cannot come to terms with the fact of their inability to buy presents for their loved ones after losing their job,” Dr Mark Xuereb told The Sunday Times of Malta.
“Even seeing happy families or couples enjoying themselves could be enough to trigger suicidal thoughts at times, if the person concerned is going through the trauma of a broken relationship,” he added.
The help line, which is free of charge, was launched out of concern that next time around it might be too late to act. Set up in collaboration with the police and other State authorities, the Suicide Watch 10, as it is called, involves a team of 12 trained specialists who work at Crisis Resolution Malta, which Dr Xuereb heads.
Founded in 2010 by a group of private professionals, CRM specialises in the provision of services mainly related to mental health issues.
Some people cannot come to terms with the fact of their inability to buy presents for their loved ones
“At Suicide Watch 10, we have trained staff including psychotherapists, social workers, lawyers and doctors, support from the authorities and the equipment to respond to any crisis,” he said.
In Malta, between two and four people commit suicide every month. But this is only the tip of the iceberg as those potentially affected number over 700 per year. Quoting from World Health Organisation data, the psychiatrist notes that for every person that dies there are about 30 cases of self-harm, who in turn have an adverse effect on six relatives.
Research shows that seeing others make merry and draw closer to one another could worsen the mental state of someone vulnerable to the point that they feel they do not deserve to live, Dr Xuereb said.
But what are the signs which should trigger the alarm bells?
“Sudden social withdrawal, making a will, closing social media accounts like Facebook, indulging more in drugs and alcohol and talking about suicide, are all worrying signs,” he pointed out.
Such signs could be of more concern if the person in question has lost a job, is immersed in debt, or has experienced a major sudden negative event like bereavement or a broken relationship.
From a wider perspective, Dr Xuereb called for the setting up of a dedicated suicide prevention watch line all year round, as part of the State healthcare services.
“Suicide is the mother of all stigmas in mental health and yet we are not giving it enough attention,” he said.
A national suicide prevention strategy has been in the offing since 2015, but for some reason it has not yet materialised.
The SW10 dedicated line can be reached on 9933 9966, via the Crisis Resolution Malta Facebook page or by email on crisismalta@gmail.com