“Read it again, 10 a day”: a young woman committed suicide and programmed tweets in which she explained her motives and scanned the Spanish health system | the Chronicle

Angela, a young Spanish woman who committed suicide, had been reporting on social media for some time “degrading and horrible treatment” who suffered thanks to an ineffective mental health system. Before leaving, he took it upon himself to leave messages on Twitter where he explained his motives and blamed the nation. There is today a deep debate where politicians, employees and Internet users rethink more than one question.

The case had a profound impact in Spain. “It wasn’t impulsive, I didn’t consciously warn anyone. I was killed by the dysfunctional family, social services, the juvenile prosecutor and, most importantly, the degrading and horrific mental health treatment. just rest, not ‘just stop suffering’ “he wrote in one of the scheduled tweets.

The young woman explained in her story that she was going through “A very bad race for problems not only untreated, but badly handled by incompetent professionals.” The young woman suffered from bipolar disorder and told “medical negligence” which he had to face. To begin with, the doctors diagnosed it as anxiety. “By not treating bipolar disorder I ended up with ciborium psychosis”, he claimed.

In another post he titled “How to completely burn a person to the point that they just want to die and refuse to speak”, published a self-help exercise and highlighted in the family section that he had suffered physical, mental, sexual abuse and abandonment. “I am a lonely person because of the force of the context, but right now I would like to be anything but alone”he stressed.

There are 10 suicides a day

“I just saw the latest tweet from a person who apparently committed suicide explaining their reasons. 10 people like her commit suicide a day. Read it again: 10 a day. The National Suicide Prevention Plan can’t wait any longer. “, lamented the former Spanish deputy, ñigo Errejon. Like him, politicians, employees and all Spanish citizens act in cooperation so that there is a new public mental health plan.

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According to the latest data collected by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), from 2018, in Spain there are 7.5 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants per year, which means more than 3,500 deaths, around 10 suicides per day. Men are in the majority and their rate is 11.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with a lower incidence among women (3.8). Noting that, the rate increases alarmingly with age.

The public health system in Spain has only around six psychologists per 100,000 inhabitants – according to 2018 data collected by the Defender of the People– and ten psychiatrists for the same population, a figure far removed from other countries of the European Union, which have more than 100. The demand for these professionals in Spain has increased, especially in a context of pandemic, where six in ten Spaniards showed symptoms of depression or anxiety, and 70% of young people were desperate.

The psychologist Jesus Arroyo, who was in daily contact with Angela, says that the very afternoon of her suicide, the young woman told her that she had gone to see a professional. “She left happy and grateful but the answer was that there were no resources. The psychologist could only see her every three months,” she says. In her blog, Angela wrote: “The renunciation of life makes sense as a protest against a system that alternates rejection and abandonment with harmful treatments, especially when the answer to all the damage is to give the system another chance until he’s with a professional who, thanks to his knowledge, resources and time, manages to give worthy attention: a needle in a haystack or a stroke of luck. “

In case of Angela launched the solidarity campaign in networks called #I’m listening to you, where Internet users under this hashtag offer their ears to talk to whoever needs it. Many of them are psychologists. “This person committed suicide largely for lack of mental health resources. It stands on top of my head, this is something very serious, I only ask if you are in a similar situation. , please email me, # TeEscucho. Each of us can make a difference “said a surfer.

And another holds: “The #TeEscucho initiative was born in Spain following a sad loss to raise awareness of the importance of accompaniment and support network in the face of the problem of suicide. Support each other, we need one another”.

In one of her scheduled tweets, and perhaps the most painful since she concluded her remarks, Angela sent one final message: “Do not stop fighting for accessible health for all, especially at the level of psychological care. It is very necessary. And, above all, take good care of yourself. It has been a pleasure”