RTL Today – Luxembourg: 44 teenagers have killed themselves in the past 25 years
1998, 44 people aged 10 to 19 committed suicide in Luxembourg. Three out of four young people who committed suicide were men.
These figures were provided by Health Minister Paulette Lenert and Education Minister Claude Meisch in their joint response to a parliamentary question from CSV MP Nancy Kemp-Arendt.
The MP wanted to know if it was true that teenage suicides had increased in recent months. According to the information available to her, this would be the case. In their response, the ministers say that the figures for 2022 are still provisional, but that so far not a single teenage suicide (person aged 10-19) has been reported during this period.
Ministers also provide statistics for the past 25 years. It shows that 44 adolescents committed suicide between 1998 and 2021. On three occasions, four young people committed suicide in the space of 12 months. It is striking to note that on average 75% of those affected are male. The last cases were recorded in 2020. They were three young men aged 18 and 19.
IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTION
The precise causes are not known to the government. Although warning signs still exist, they are not manifested nor are there any clear indications of suicidal intent. However, certain warning signs are always to be taken seriously. For example: regularly talking about death, turning away from friends and favorite activities, giving away loved objects, researching methods of killing oneself or inappropriate risky behaviors.
In view of the national plan against suicide, the ministers emphasize that prevention is an important pillar in the management of mental health. That is why by 2025, 500 people working in secondary schools, including teachers, will be trained to recognize signs and risk factors in young people and adults and act accordingly. In addition, a postvention team will be set up in each high school. A postvention is an intervention that occurs with people bereaved after a suicide. They are accompanied in their grieving process in order to limit the imitation of suicidal behavior. The ministers also hope that the reimbursement of psychotherapies will have an impact on the suicide rate of young people, by facilitating their access to therapies.
People who have suicidal thoughts can seek professional help through these links: