According to Polish police data cited by Witkowska, in 2025 an average of 13 people died by suicide in Poland every day, 11 of them were men. Additionally, 1925 suicide attempts were recorded among people under 19 years old. This data refers only to the recorded suicidal attempts, Witkowska added.
The number of suicide attempts among girls increased by 215% between 2020 and 2023, she added.
A study entitled “Good and Bad News: Online and Offline Life and the Mental Health of Polish Adolescents”, cited by Witkowska, found that suicide-related content appear on social media feeds for 55% of third-year secondary-school students and 39% of seventh-grade primary-school students. At the same time, more than 90% said they had never searched for such content themselves.
According to Witkowska, there are two main misconceptions that hinder suicide prevention. The first common belief is that if someone openly talks about suicide, then they won’t commit it. However, 80% of people who died by suicide had previously communicated their intentions to those around them, she said. Secondly, there is a belief that talking about this topic can encourage suicidal thoughts. That was also found to be untrue. According to Witkowska, talking about it can help deal with difficult emotions.
She recommended a four-stage approach to supporting someone in crisis: notice, ask, accept and respond. Notice the changes in behaviour. Ask what the person is going through. Accept their emotions without judgement. Respond by helping them reach a specialist.
The expert outlined some warning signs we should be aware of in others. Those include problems with concentration, memory or sleep, eating disorders, changes in appearance or clothing and withdrawal from relationships or activities.
“We must remember that people in crisis often see themselves as hopeless and worthless, and believe they do not deserve support. They need not only our empathy, but also our understanding and patience”, Witkowska said.
A full list of Polish mental health helplines is available at the ‘Życie warte jest rozmowy’ service.
(sp/jh)
Source: PAP