‘Stay’: Chile’s ambitious counterattack against rising suicides

With an investment of 2 million dollars, stay aims to reach a million Chileans affected directly or indirectly by the problem of suicide. A rising phenomenon. If before the pandemic one of the main capital hospitals treated three suicide cases a month, today there are three a day. Chile leads these deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean, in sixth place.

Stay is supported by the joint work of seven foundations, including “Para la Confianza”. Its executive director, Valentina Correa, explains to RFI that it is currently the adult population “who is suffering the highest percentage of suicidal thinking or behavior.” Another problem lies in the lack of knowledge and the disparity of figures on suicide. The Stay program “not only has to do with orientation, containment, or overcoming a suicide by family members”, but also “has the objective that we all agree on what it is todayYoto the data regarding suicide attempt and death by suicide in the countryYoyes”.

One of the tools used by Stay is the chat, accessible through www.quédate.cl. Its primary function is “to provide crisis guidance to the person who is suffering, because we understand that if you contact us it is because you are asking for help,” explains Correa. “It is about looking for alternatives in the conversation, so that stay be the option, and that’s going to end in an assisted referral to the p systemorpublic, or private, according toorn the person”.

“We hope that family members, friends, who know someone who has thoughts of death, or who want to clear some tabs, also contact us.orIt’s about suicide. For example, the idea that talking about suicide is promoting it is very established, and it is the opposite. This program has a strong awareness and promotional component.

The other foundations that participate in Quédate are Katy Summer, Everything improves, Polar Circle, look at us, ProCultura and Jose Ignacio.