Next May 11th, from 6am, Mijas will host the solidarity walk for suicide prevention, Darkness into Light, an initiative promoted by the Irish foundation Pieta House, in collaboration with the Association of Relatives and People with Mental Illness in the Costa del Sol (Afesol), which this year celebrates its ninth edition in the Costa del Sol.

The Boulevard in La Cala will be the starting point for the five-kilometre route. It will start at 6:00 in the morning, before sunrise, “to symbolise the transition from darkness to light and the first rays of light”, according to Afesol.

The vice-president of the organisation, Cristian González, recalled that this campaign began in Dublin 15 years ago and that the 2023 edition had the participation of more than 200,000 people all over the world. He also stressed that all the money raised “will go to suicide awareness programmes, as well as to intervention and support for people who have suffered the loss of a loved one for this reason”.

For his part, the Councillor Marco Cortés, responsible for Health at the Mijas Town Hall, said that “it is important to raise awareness of such a serious issue as suicide and that we all realise how important it is to involve all social spheres in its prevention, especially when it is still the main external cause of death in Spain”. 

To participate, prior registration is required, which can be done through www.darknessintolight.ie or at Afesol's offices.

Suicide Observatory in Spain

According to data published by the INE (Spanish National Statistics Institute) on December 19th 2023, In 2022, 4,227 people died by suicide in Spain, an average of 11.6 people per day; 74% of them men (3,126) and 26% women (1,101). Thus, 2022 became the year with the highest number of suicides recorded in the history of Spain since data has been available (1906). 

Regarding 2021 (a year in which there were 4,003 deaths for this reason), in 2022 5.6% more suicides were recorded (4.8% in men and 7.8% in women). This is the highest number of suicides ever recorded in Spain, and the third consecutive year exceeding the figures for the previous one.

By age, the highest number of deaths by suicide occurred in the 50-54 age group (468), followed by the 55-59 age group (479) and the 45-49 age group (444). In all these age groups there has been an increase compared to 2021.

In 2021, the high number of child suicides was a cause for concern (22 children under the age of 15 took their own lives, compared to 13 in 2022), but in 2022 the increase in teenage suicides (15-19 years old) also raises concern, especially among boys: while in 2021 there were 53 suicides (28 boys and 25 girls), in 2022 there were 75 (44 boys and 21 girls). The increase in suicides among younger women (15-29 years old) is also alarming: 79 in 2021 and 117 in 2022.

Helpline

Since last year, the 024 suicide helpline has been available. This is a public, free and accessible resource, available 24 hours a day and managed by professionals in psychology, whose objective is to attend to people with suicidal behaviour or thoughts and their environment.

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