SOS Amitié reveals in its 10th Observatory of Psychological Suffering, published on June 16, that the health crisis has had a major impact on the suicidal ideas of the French.
The past confinement has brought back the demons hidden in each of us. The very essential listeners of SOS Amitié received 40% more calls during confinement from people considering suicide, compared to the same period last year. And a third of the total of the appellants cited confinement as a cause of their discomfort, according to the Observatoire des Suffrances Psychiques de SOS Amitié.
"The volunteers invested heavily. They answered 32% more calls compared to the same period in 2019: 102,644 calls answered from March 15 to May 10, 2020 against 77,722 over the same period 2019. The Listening at home made it possible to ensure, with other associations, a relay of the national COVID19 line, transferring to the volunteers of the association calls that required attentive listening, "said the association's press release.
This anxiety-provoking period between fears of falling ill and how to get out of it financially would have "exacerbated the difficulties of loneliness" and "provoked deep anxieties, distress and exceptional suffering".
Thanks to teleworking, the listeners were able to answer a greater proportion of calls than to the usual "https://www.aufeminin.com/". But due to the lack of volunteers, this type of listening "still represents only one call taken out of three". The organization is looking to recruit 500 new listeners to help even more.
"Women represent 2/3 of the callers"
If we refer to the balance sheet of SOS Amitié, the appellants spoke more of their fears and their anxieties, but also of "nuisance from housing and the neighborhood", as well as "domestic and marital violence".
"Callers who, without clearly expressing suicidal thoughts, carry the risk, are the most important part of the calls received. Thus mental health problems, depression, burn-out, violence, ruptures, bereavement represent 71% on the telephone , 71% by chat and 57% by email ".
SOS Amitié reveals that young people under 25 express the most suicidal thoughts.
Listening by email or chat has a very important place in the activities of the association today.
What if these thoughts take over?
Are you in the mood for suicide? Don't let them defeat you. Solutions exist! SOS Amitié is a listening service designed to welcome the voices of those who, at some point in their life, are going through a difficult period, free of charge, anonymously. So don't be ashamed to call or write to them. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And the chat desk is available every evening from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. or by email (response within 48 hours maximum). Their phone number is 09 72 39 40 50. You can rand find regional telephone numbers on the association's website. Also, don't hesitate to see your doctor.
According to the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, each year, nearly 10,500 people die by suicide (nearly three times more than by road accident) and between 176,000 and 200,000 suicide attempts give rise to an intervention of the healthcare system.