Epidemiological Report points out that suicide is a health problem especially among indigenous youth, which records the highest rate in the country, 62.7
Study of indicates that the young population has a higher risk of suicide, 31.2 per 100 thousand inhabitants, above the general population rate, which is 24.7 per 100 thousand inhabitants. Among young men, the risk rises to 36.8. However, it is among indigenous people that the problem is greater.
The 2nd Epidemiological Report on the Health Situation of Brazilian Youth:prepared by Agenda Jovem Fiocruz and the Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio (EPSJV/Fiocruz), highlights that “suicide is a health problem especially among indigenous youth”. This population has the highest suicide rate in Brazil (62.7).
“Young indigenous people, men aged between 20 and 24, have a very high rate of 107.9 suicides for every one hundred thousand inhabitants”, say the researchers. Suicide among young indigenous women is also higher than that of women from other populations, especially among younger women, aged 15 to 19 (46.2 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants).
According to the institution’s researcher, Luciane Ferrareto, cultural issues can be attributed to the high rates among indigenous people, in addition to the delay in receiving care at the health service. “Indigenous people today have a lot of access to information, but there is still a lot of prejudice against them in society,” said Luciane.
The study describes the profile of hospital admissions, mortality and care related to mental health in primary health care units (PHC) for Brazilians aged 15 to 29 years, between 2022 and 2024.
More hospitalizations of young men
According to the research, young men represent 61.3% of hospitalizations for mental health problems, with a hospitalization rate of 708.4 per 100 thousand inhabitants, 57% higher than the rate for women (450). Less than half of young people who are hospitalized for mental health receive medical and psychological follow-up after the hospital period.
Abuse of psychoactive substances is the main cause of hospitalizations of young men (38.4%). The majority of these cases (68.7%) are caused by multiple drug abuse. Next come cocaine (13.2%) and alcohol (11.5%). The biggest cause of women’s hospitalization is depression.
On the other hand, in youth as a whole, drug abuse and schizophrenic disorders have the same weight in hospitalizations: 31% and 32%, respectively. For the researcher from the Polytechnic School of Health, the high rate of hospitalization of young men due to alcohol and other drug abuse is related to a combination of social, cultural and economic factors.
According to the expert, the pressure for an ideal of masculinity that values strength and self-sufficiency creates great anguish and makes it difficult for many to seek emotional or psychological help, leading them to resort to substance use.
“In addition, many of these young people are already heads of families. The lack of work opportunities, precarious jobs, financial instability and the feeling of social failure increase the chances of these young people using drugs as a form of escape”, he adds.
Physical and sexual violence in adolescence
In the case of women, Luciane highlights that physical and sexual violence in adolescence, mainly by family members, leads to mental illness. “Young women, aged 22 to 29, may have to abandon study and work to take care of children or other relatives, because they do not have a public policy network of daycare centers or care for the elderly. Another point is that many women get involved in abusive relationships that lead to their illness. There are also issues of precarious employment and harassment at work”, said the expert.
In the period analyzed, only 11.3% of young people’s visits to health units were to treat mental health, while in the general population this proportion is 24.3%. However, the hospitalization rate for youth was 579.5 cases for every 100 thousand inhabitants, and in the subgroups of 20 to 24 years old and 25 to 29 years old the value rises, respectively, to 624.8 and 719.7. These rates are significantly higher than those of the adult population over 30 years of age (599.4).
According to AJF coordinator, André Sobrinho, young people are those who suffer most from mental health, violence and accidents at work, but they are also those who seek and find health care the least, and those who stop working least when they are sick.
“Often young people, society and the State act as if they have to put up with anything precisely because they are young,” said Sobrinho. The report analyzed the Unified Health System (SUS) databases on hospital admissions, deaths and PHC care. It also used data from the 2022 Census from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) for mortality and hospitalization rates.
If you need it, ask for help
Anyone with thoughts and feelings of wanting to end their own life should seek support from their support network, such as family, friends and educators, and also from health services. According to the Ministry of Health, it is very important to talk to someone you trust and not hesitate to ask for help, including when seeking health services.
The Center for Valuing Life (CVV) provides emotional support and suicide prevention, voluntarily and free of charge serving all people who want and need to talk, under complete confidentiality, by phone (188), email, chat and voip 24 hours a day.
Health services that can be sought for care:
- Psychosocial Care Centers (Caps) and Basic Health Units (Family Health, Posts and Health Centers);
- UPA 24H, SAMU 192, Emergency Room; Hospitals;
- Life Appreciation Center – 188 (toll free)
*With information from Agência Brasil
