“Suicide is not just a problem for doctors, it is a problem for everyone. Companies as well. Suicide prevention is possible if we all know about it and act,” said Montse Pàmias, medical director of UIC Barcelona’s Support Clinic. Together with Pàmias, Xavier Savin, Director of Psychological Care and Training at the Fundación Salud y Persona, and Marta Mas, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, as moderator, analysed the role of the company in the promotion of mental health and suicide prevention.

Montse Pàmias, the director of the university Support Clinic, located in the Sant Cugat Campus, and has become a leading reference for psychological and psychiatric care, explained that suicide involves multiple factors and highlighted the need for awareness campaigns. “We must lower the number of suicides. To do this, awareness campaigns are very important as happened in the early 2000s with traffic accidents.” In 2020, suicides doubled the number of road accidents.

“In 2020, suicide attempts among girls between the ages of 15 and 18 increased by 200%. In that context, the importance of the social environment and activity became clear.” Talking long the same lines, Pàmias shared how the promotion of social activities in teams or business environments can help people with mental health problems.

Xavier Savin also took part in the round table. He is the director of Psychological Care and Training at the Fundación Salud y Persona, an organisation that offers health and emotional well-being programmes to insurers, funeral homes and companies that provide support services and psychological care in person and over the phone. “There are companies that choose to make a psychologist available to their employees and family members. For us, the concept of family members is important. It’s impossible to be okay if your child is not,” Savin said.

Xavier Savin added that work can become an element of protection since “healthy companies improve the psycho-emotional state of the person in different ways: recognition, the purpose of work, companionship, etc.”

On the other hand, Sarvin stressed the need for companies to understand that emotions are a part of the game, part of their daily life, and that emotions are conscious, but nonetheless involuntary. “For example, a person may choose to shower, but not enjoy it. It must be understood that people go through situations that sometimes do not allow them to be completely happy,” he added.

The round table ‘Mental health in the company’ is part of the activities that form part of the premiere of the documentary ‘La Xarxa Invisible’, directed and produced by UIC Barcelona which aims to provide a platform for young people, families, associations, clinical staff and professionals who are committed to breaking the stigma of suicide and to give a voice to those who struggle in silence.