Martin Johansen (25) was close to becoming part of the suicide statistics, but good follow-up from his home municipality saved him. The young student now hopes more people will get the same help. Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol also hopes so. For two years after the government put forward the Action Plan for the prevention of suicide (2020 – 2025), and the so-called zero vision, the numbers of suicides have not decreased. – The work to prevent suicide belongs in all sectors. The work with the zero vision is part of our general work with suicide prevention, writes Kjerkol in an e-mail to news. Don’t have an overview of suicide attempts World Suicide Prevention Day is marked on 10 September each year to focus on the benefits of prevention. In 2021, 658 deaths were recorded as a result of suicide in Norway. They were about the same in previous years. No one has an overview of the number of suicide attempts. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) estimates that the healthcare system treats between 4,000 and 6,000 suicide attempts annually. The figures are uncertain because there is no registration. DEVELOPMENT: This graph from the Cause of Death Register and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shows how the suicide numbers in Norway have developed from 1050 to 2020. The dark graph shows the figures for men, while the pink graph shows the figures for women. Photo: Screenshot from FHI Do you need someone to talk to? Several helplines, chat services and support groups can help you share your thoughts and feelings completely anonymously. Mental Health: 116 123 The Church’s SOS: 22 40 00 40 For children and young people: The emergency telephone for children and young people: 116 111 Cross on the neck (operated by the Red Cross): 800 333 21 Source: Helsenorge – Soleklart improvement area The number of municipal plans to prevent suicides have increased, but concrete measures are long overdue, says Fredrik A. Walby. He is a researcher and psychologist specialist at the National Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (NSSF). – What we should believe is that we should systematically work our way down, but we have barely started that job, Walby sums up. COMMON OBJECTIVE: Researcher Fredrik A. Walby says that the zero vision is inspired by work on road safety. – It is very good to have such a way of thinking. For traffic, this has been very successful. There, they have followed up by working systematically with measures, and enormous resources have been used, says Walby. Photo: Kristin Ellefsen / � UiO/Kristin Ellefsen There are significantly more people who survive suicide attempts than die. People who at one point try to die are usually very happy later that they survived, says Walby. People who have been hospitalized after a suicide attempt have an increased risk of new attempts. Follow-up of people in this group can be crucial, but the offer varies greatly. – There is a clear area for improvement, states the researcher. Recommends suicide curriculum at secondary level The Norwegian Directorate of Health has run the National Forum for Suicide Prevention since 2021. They are responsible for following up on the government’s action plan. – On World Suicide Prevention Day, a status report is published for the measures in the action plan, says department director Jacob Linhave in the Norwegian Directorate of Health. So far, there has been one concrete piece of advice from the national forum. – The forum recommends making arrangements for the suicide prevention school program YAM to be systematically introduced in all the country’s secondary schools, writes Linhave to news. YAM stands for Youth Aware of Mental health. The recommendation was sent to the Ministry of Health and Care in August 2022. Among those who died by suicide last year, 125 people were under the age of 30. Martin survived Martin Johansen (25) from Gjøvik is one of those who have survived suicide attempts. His history of difficult thoughts and feelings began already when he was in the second grade of elementary school. Everyday life was characterized by bullying. Johansen had several episodes of self-harm. At the age of 10, he thought about taking his own life for the first time. GOT HELP: Martin had contact with child protection and the child and youth psychiatric outpatient clinic (BUP) for several years. From secondary school age, he had regular contact with Ung i Gjøvik. Martin now works at an orphanage in Tanzania. Photo: Privat As it approached secondary school, he planned to quit. In the eighth grade, Johansen was offered to join Ung i Gjøvik’s leisure group. That’s when it started to turn around. – I met very good people there, both adults and other young people. Johnsen says that he entered a community, and there he was told that he was good enough. He believes it is important that young people are met based on their interests. Today, the 25-year-old is doing well. He is in his final year of social work studies in Volda. This semester he is in Tanzania, where he has a study placement at an orphanage. Researchers believe everyone can contribute Heidi Hjelmeland is a professor at the Institute of Mental Health, NTNU. In March this year, she published a book on suicide prevention. Hjelmeland is keen to understand what the individual suicide is about. – We must try to understand how suicidality develops throughout life, she explains. The researcher points out that experiences, relationships with others and various societal conditions can together contribute to such development. DIFFICULT TO SAY WHY THE NUMBER IS NOT GOING DOWN: – There are many things that can affect the suicide rate in one direction or the other, over which we have no control, says Heidi Hjelmeland at NTNU. Photo: Press photo / Photographer Schrøder Hjelmeland uses “high expectations” as an example. – Where are these expectations created that are completely impossible to live up to?, asks the researcher. She aims to ensure that we can all contribute in arenas where expectations and prejudices arise. It is about how we speak and behave in the family, nursery school, school and so on. – This shows some of the complexity of suicide prevention, but also that we can all contribute, she concludes. Lessons from those who survive Johansen has told about his experiences to other young people, parents and adults who work with young people. – It was very special, I had had some of them as teachers earlier at school. He felt that his experiences were heard. Some of the adults began to cry when he spoke. He interpreted it as perhaps they had children who were struggling themselves. Johansen is happy if he can help others. Hello! Thank you for reading the matter! If you have feedback or input on this topic, you are welcome to write to me. For help or someone to talk to: Call 113 for immediate help! Call one of the phone numbers given in the article if you need a chat. I welcome suggestions for other things I should look at!
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Zero vision for suicide has not resulted in lower suicide rates – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
