Mexico holds mental health and suicide prevention seminars

In observance of World Suicide Prevention Day, various educational and professional initiatives in Mexico have focused on mental health awareness and responsible communication regarding suicide.

At the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Faculty of Medicine organized a seminar addressing self-harm, suicidal ideation, and crisis management. Dr. Paulina Arenas Landgrave discussed the spectrum of suicidality, ranging from thoughts of death to suicide attempts. She emphasized the importance of risk assessment and distinguished between self-harming behavior, which may serve to alleviate emotional pain, and suicidal behavior.

In Reynosa, Tamaulipas, the Red de Mujeres Periodistas de Reynosa participated in training led by psychologist and thanatologist Astrid Zapata. The session focused on the role of media in suicide prevention, highlighting the need for journalists to report on mental health issues with empathy, sensitivity, and responsibility to avoid negative community impacts and to provide useful information to the public.