Balearic health service suicide response unit

Members of the special response unit. | Miquel A. Cañellas

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma09/05/2021 08:02
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Rosa Sánchez of the 061 health emergency service says that any threat to commit suicide cannot be trivialised. "It is human nature to want to survive. To wish to do the contrary has to be taken seriously."

The number of incidents, she notes, has risen sharply. In March 2020, 061 dealt with 141 incidents of attempted suicide. This March there were 212. Because of this, the IB-Salut health service has created a special unit within 061.

The aim is for comprehensive attention that guarantees a rapid response and enhanced control during the period when a patient is undergoing a crisis and is contemplating suicide. Isabel Juste, a doctor with 061, says that "we saw the need for following up to see if people really got into the mental health network or just disappeared".

She adds that having access to medical history allows the most appropriate decisions to be taken. "We can also see if families need help. Our care is therapeutic and to ensure that people are well looked after."