Some of the deals don’t need advertising and a success anyway. More than 130 calls had taken the suicide prevention Hotline of the Association of La Barandilla in Madrid alone in the first two months after its opening, says Director Ana Lancho. “And although we are only a small club and the lines at La Barandilla, seven days a week from 9 am to 21 PM, to be occupied.”

Lancho has a pretty simple concept, as you should with suicide: “We need to talk more about suicide, if we want to help the Affected,” she says. Your Association is part of a growing movement that wants to liberate the subject of suicide by the Stigma. Because this won’t help anyone.

one of these people, Cecilia Borràs, founder and President of the Catalan survivors Association, Después del Suicidio ( suicide ), also known as DSAS. Borràs lost her son in 2012, he took his own life. Since then, to make suicide a topic of conversation. “Most of the time people that commit suicide do not want to die, even. You do not want to suffer. And you can help them,” she says. Lancho agrees. “We must not make the Affected clear that the pain is temporary, death.”

a Bunch of incorrect death certificates

introduced, According to statistics from the Institute a year 3500 people in Spain, the life. The number of unreported cases is likely to be suicides. Often be manipulated notes after a suicide the dead. Out of fear of stigmatisation, legal difficulties, or to avoid, that the local Church refused burial, it is then given a different cause of death.

Carmen Regidor Marcos, 59 years of age, was born in Madrid and had already become twice almost part of these statistics. As more than ten years of violence, poverty, alcohol and Prostitution her life certain, she tried twice to take his own life. After she had overcome her alcohol addiction, she was last November, but due to family circumstances. “It’s hard for me to get back on their feet,” she admits and tries to hide the pain behind a Smile. She was one of the First to be called La Barandilla. “I was curious, at the same time was suicide for me is also not completely off the table,” she recalls.

This Text is part of the project “Rethink Health”. Five editorial staff to publish in the world over a period of three weeks in October of texts on the topic of health. For example, to the question of how we can remain in the face of a rapidly changing world is healthy, how this new world but also offers new possibilities for health care. The participating media are “The mirror”, “El País”, “The Sunday Times”, “The Nation” and “The Hindu”.

After two Calls to the Hotline is Regidor Marcos today, a regular user of the daily centre for social Integration, the Association la Banderilla operates in addition to the telephone emergency pastoral care. “The center is like an oasis for me,” she explains.

And then someone calls who has swallowed the tablets already

La Barandilla ten experts are ready to answer your calls. They are called “listeners” and remain mostly anonymous. “We have a psychologist for a permanent position, but all the listeners are Volunteers: a psychiatrists, seven psychologists and a social worker with a specialization in the area of mental health”, lists Lancho your helper. They stressed that they would like to do all, and the service around the clock offer, but lacked the financial resources.

J. L., one of the listeners, was confronted shortly after joining the Hotline with one of the most difficult situations on the Job: a call from a Person who was about to take his own life. “He had taken before his call tablets. More than 40 minutes, we kept him conscious until we had ascertained his address, and both the police and the Samur ( rescue service – ed .) with him arrived,” she says. In three further cases, people were prepared for “everything” to put an end to her life. Each Time she managed the audience, however, you stop.

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“people call in sheer desperation. We have a fixed Schema, that we hold ourselves to the beginning of the conversation. Sometimes we have to ask the people, why you are calling. But most of the time you just start to talk. Most of it is still hard, the word ‘suicide’ to pronounce,” says J. L. your task is to help the caller to change his mind and to help you “grab life by the collars and to draw from your inner strength”.

the anonymity of The audience is important, because you can maintain a distance from, and the caller is not too familiar with them. “A lot of questions, who we are, but in most cases you will be satisfied that we are professionals. Sometimes you want to just talk, because suicide is something you cannot discuss with your Partner, to worry without him. At the end of the call are all, without exception, grateful,” confirms J. L.

The Problem of suicide is underestimated

The callers are mostly middle-aged. “We need to reach out to young people,” says Lancho.

For Borràs is the number of calls already in this short time, a clear indication that the issue of suicide is underestimated. “We get so many calls, sometimes two a day. And in the night we take not once (you will be redirected to another Hotline). This is the worst time,” she says.

The President of the DSAS is, therefore, very glad about the Initiative of La Banderilla. “It is important to strengthen the awareness of suicide and a professional service to offer,” she says, and adds: “the one Who is in such a Situation, do not want to talk with a well-meaning Amateur who will tell you that everything will be fine again. The have tried these people already have been. You need professional help.”

Carmen Regidor Marcos is thankful for. “Had it not been for the Hotline already a year ago, I would have been last year to a relapse. Now I’m confident that I’ll make it.”

circles your thoughts about to take his own life? You talk to other people about it. Here you will find the – also anonymous – offers of help in seemingly hopeless situations. By phone, Chat, E-Mail or in a personal conversation.