Yellow September is the month dedicated to mental health and suicide prevention.

This is a serious matter and one of the Ramacrisna Institute’s areas of action. Therefore, we talked to the psychologist, Flávia Martins, about the subject. check out!

1) Why is it important to have a month focused on mental health and suicide prevention?

Suicide is a public health problem. And many people don’t know that the number of lives lost to self-extermination is extremely high. In a year, there are about 800,000 deaths that could have been avoided.

Those who believe that people with suicidal ideas are far away are wrong. More and more, we have records of people who come to attempt on their own lives. And they are getting closer to us.

Therefore, it is extremely important to promote access to support networks, mental health professionals and the right information on how to identify and, especially, how to follow up in the search for help.

2) How to provide mental support for young people?

Regarding mental health, the most effective way to empower young people is to promote access and inclusion to the psychosocial support network..

It means bringing quality information, strengthening public policies that cover the development stages and creating strategies that follow the evolution and experience of each young person.

In more urgent cases, we have the Life Enhancement Center (CVV). Through various actions, for example, service by cell phone and e-mail, it offers immediate humanized care for anyone who needs it.

We can also count on Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS), linked to the Unified Health System (SUS). The places offer multidisciplinary care for people in crisis, with various mental disorders and with alcohol and drug problems.

Some colleges also offer free or socially priced psychological shifts, which can help in these more delicate moments..

3) We know that suicide is multifactorial, including a related socioeconomic factor. How to identify risks in people in social vulnerability?

It is essential to be aware of the acts that involve the person with suicidal thoughts and also the family, who suffers from sociocultural judgments related to the reality and experience of each family environment.

This can cause the individual to distance himself, fearing embarrassing situations or situations that cause suffering, which ends up impacting on relationships. It is also necessary to observe stressors such as unemployment, low income, family relationships, demographic and social factors.

In addition, the consumption of toxic substances, which can aggravate the situation, should be examined. The use of alcohol and drugs is more prevalent in the onset of mental disorders that are inadequately treated.

The abuse of alcohol and drug ingestion for those people who cannot absorb reality leaves the person with compromised emotional, mental, physical and overcoming challenges, strengthening the feeling of failure in life.

It is also necessary to consider social conflicts, such as discrimination of all forms and genders..

4) What actions are being developed by Ramacrisna in September Yellow?

There are several actions:

The Amigo Anjo (Angel Friend) is carried out with the Institute’s team of collaborators. It’s like a secret friend: each participant is responsible for taking care of a colleague, anonymously. It can be through letters, notes, gifts or any other way.

The aim is to welcome co-workers, integrate the sectors and expand the opportunity to know a little more about colleagues beyond work.

It is worth remembering that all the action takes place in a confidential manner, but people can count on the collaboration of colleagues to learn more about their protégé. And the angel friend is only revealed on the last day. These activities are taking place between the 20th and 24th of September.

We also have free online psychological support for teenage apprentices. This is a partnership between the Ramacrisna Institute and the psychology students of Faculdade Pitágoras.

During the whole of Yellow September, group meetings will take place to mobilize these teenagers. During the meetings, topics of interest to young people will be discussed. There will be about five meetings, which will take place until November.

Lastly, we will have Live Yellow September. It will be held on the Ramacrisna Institute’s youtube channel, through the Construindo o Futuro project, which is sponsored by Petrobras and supported by the Teen Apprentice project.

Psychologist Francielle Carvalho graduated from PUC Minas and has been studying and working on suicide prevention and valuing life since 2014. She will lead the conversation.

The live will take place on September 24th, at 2 pm. Click to access.

5) Outside of Yellow September, what are the mental health activities developed in Ramacrisna?

Through the partnership with Pitágoras, it was possible to implement the Se Cuida Jovem (take care of you youth) program. This is a project that offers psychosocial care for teenagers who have some connection with the Ramacrisna Institute.

The project was created in 2018 but had to be stopped by the pandemic. Now it is being resumed. This partnership also offers online group work.

You can help maintain mental health care for children and adolescents. Click to find out how to contribute.

Also read: 5 tips to improve mental health during the pandemic