Citation

Juricic NK. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 137.

Affiliation

Institute of Public Health Celje, Ipavceva 18, 3000 Celje, Slovenia. (nusa.konec@zzv-ce.si)

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16964123

Abstract

Objectives: Still, the Celje region in Slovenia is an area with an explicitly expressed problem of suicide, with the suicide rate about 34 per 100.000 population. With regard to its mission, the Institute of Public Health Celje has undertaken the task of co-ordinating various activities for strengthening mental health and mitigating the problem of suicide occurrence on the regional level. Methods: In 2001 an inter-sector interdisciplinary group for suicide prevention in the region has been established. Five goals of this group, which are suicide and mental disorder destigmatization, research, education, mental health preventive programmes implementation and co-operation with the media, are incorporated in the programme called 'Strengthening Mental Health and Mitigating the Problem of Suicide in the Celje region.' Results: In the first phase, from 2003 - 2006, we have performed education of different professional groups - training of school advisers and teachers on recognizing stress, depression and suicidality with adolescents, an intensive training of all general practitioners and nurses from the region on recognizing depression and on working with suicidal persons in co-operation with the Institute of Public Health Slovenia. Also, a trainning for policemen and prison's keepers, for social workers and for counsellors who work with unemployed people has been performed. We have developed a preventive project for young people called ' This Is Me', which encourages the development of positive self-esteem and the www.tosemjaz.net website, where different questions of young people are answered by a group of experts. In the second phase, from 2005, we have started to work with the general population, based on the fact that professionals can help only those, who ask and seek help. Short seminars and workshops oriented to decreasing stigma on mental illnesses, in recognition of depression and stress and in encouraging people to seek help as soon as it is needed, have been done. We have also started with workshops for people with depression and their relatives. We have issued three folding leaflets - for parents with advice on how to deal with an adolescent, for people, who fear that someone may take his or her life and for the general population about mental health and mental illnesses. In both phases, the attention to mental health is drawn regulary by means of several types of media on the local and regional level. Conclusions: Based on experiences and evaluation of the programme, we are going to continue with all activities mentioned above as well as new ones that need to be developed. Next year we will start with a project of workshops for problem solving for professionals and the general population. Because efficient acting in the field of mental health requires harmonized approaches of various branches, institutions and of individuals, we will cooperate with all those, who are responsible for good mental health.

Language: en