The Hope Phone handled 7,850 calls and 1,135 chats in the province in six months. One in four chat users is under 18, with anxiety and depression dominating the inquiries.
The Hope Phone has responded to around 7,850 requests for help by phone and 1,135 through its chat in the last six months, according to Diario Sur. Of the chats, 249 (26.16%) were from minors under 18, the largest group, followed by young people aged 19 to 25, with 203 cases (21.32%).
By age, users aged 26 to 35 followed with 189 assists, those aged 36 to 45 with 86, and those over 46 with 71. Among the reasons, mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, phobias, or OCD accounted for 941 of the phone calls, while psychological and psychiatric reasons summed up to 640 assists (51.61%) in the chat, and relationship or family-related issues accounted for 256 (20.65%).
The entity warns that 204 people (24%) used the chat for a serious problem, 244 (28.71%) had a chronic issue, and 173 (20.35%) contacted due to a current crisis caused by an external situation. There were also assists related to crises or suicidal ideation, without specifying the number.
“Preventing suicide is not just about acting in an emergency, but involves building a culture where talking about suffering is possible. Therefore, what we seek with this campaign is to provide tools to recognise situations of suffering and possible warning signs without them going unnoticed or minimised,” says Aurelia González, clinical psychologist and head of the Suicide Prevention Programme and the Hope Phone Chat.
On the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day, celebrated on September 10, the entity has launched the campaign “When you only see... NOTHING”, which aims to discuss the experience of the person in crisis and how the environment sometimes fails to detect suffering due to “false beliefs” that hinder timely questioning and support.
In Málaga, activities will be held on September 10 alongside other associations in the Constitution Square starting at 10:30 AM “to raise our voices together for suicide prevention.”
The Hope Phone offers free and confidential emotional support at 717 003 717, available every day of the year, 24 hours a day. The Hope Chat operates from Monday to Sunday from 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM through the website telefonodelaesperanza.org.
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