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Project in collaboration with:
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The fight against teenage suicide
In Switzerland suicide is the main cause of death among teenagers. About 4% of girls and 5% of boys aged 15 to 25 years are at risk of a suicidal act. Only 10% of these young people are treated, as most teenagers in psychological distress refuse to contact specialists directly.
To combat this scourge, Children Action, in cooperation with the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), has created a three-pronged entity in Geneva:
1. the Hospital Unit "Lits de crise" (UCA),
2. the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide (CEPS)
3. the Centre for Ambulatory Intensive Treatment (CTAI).
This combined offering of hospital treatment, prevention and ambulatory care is emerging as a university centre of excellence and a benchmark in Europe.
The hospital unit: a fresh look at life
The UCA at 57 Boulevard de la Cluse, Geneva, opens its doors to teenagers who have attempted suicide, or who are going through a difficult period, allowing them to take time out from everyday pressures. The emphasis is above all placed on dialogue. Psychiatrists and psychologists from the HUG offer genuine listening: individual and group therapy enables problems to be identified. These exchanges help each individual replenish his or her own resources. Following their stay at the UCA, many decide to follow a psychotherapy course. They are also welcome to return in case of recurrence.
The Center for the study and prevention of suicide: a safety net
Alongside the hospital unit, the Center for the study and prevention of suicide (CEPS), focused on clinical and research activities, develops strategies which ensure efficient information transfer. One of the Center's primary aims is to learn to anticipate, in order to improve action.
Prevention tools:
- Telephone helpline
Professionals listen and respond to teenagers in difficulty on 022 382 42 42, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
- Partnership with web site "CIAO" for questions concerning suicide amongst teenagers
The CEPS collaborates with www.Ciao.ch, a web site providing information for teenagers on which young people can ask all the questions they are worried about. Since January 2005, the CEPS team has been providing direct answers to questions regarding suicide.
- Consultation
Around 20% of calls received by the telephone helpline lead to an evaluative consultation carried out by the prevention team. Should they wish, young people are then hospitalised, or benefit from ambulatory follow-up by the UCA.
- Training and Information
Informing and training those who spend time with these young people every day is vital to ensure basic support for teenagers who do not yet feel ready to follow a course of treatment. Parents, family doctors, teachers, instructors and social workers are often approached to pay more attention to the alarm bells and to know better how to react. |
Suicide should not be a taboo subject - talking about it is a first step towards fighting it. This is why we have developed communication strategies which establish the link between those in need of help and our programme.
No Suicide: this comic book pools the talent of 11 great cartoonists: Avril, Baladi, Bilal, Götting, Loustal, Muzo, Reumann, Simon, Tirabosco, Vuillemein and Wazen. They illustrate the main causes of teenage suicide: failure at school, no-one to talk to or communication breakdown, disappointment in love...
To order this click here |
The Centre for Ambulatory Intensive Treatment : an additional link in the treatment of adolescents in crisis
Open 7 days a week and equipped to monitor up to 30 teenagers at a time, the Centre for Ambulatory Intensive Treatment (CTAI) aims to round out facilities for the prevention (CEPS) and hospital treatment of suicide (UCA) which have existed in Geneva for 10 years. This new service, which opened in April 2008, provides urgent ambulatory care as well as follow-up support for 8 to 12 weeks.
Offering an alternative to hospitalisation, the Centre enables the pursuit of educational or professional activities during the treatment period. The new Centre offers, on a voluntary undertaking basis, an intensive ambulatory management plan comprising exchanges with medical/ nursing professionals, group activities, individual corporal mediation therapy, art therapy and psychotherapy. Other options include spending a maximum of two nights at the Centre and the availability of patient support or family-level management plans.
Encouraging results
Since October 1996, the UCA has taken in 1 660 teenagers for an average stay of 17 days. Most of them decided to follow a therapy upon leaving the Unit. Over the same period, the helpline received 5 721 calls. Since its opening in April 2008, the CTAI has offered a support to 557 teenagers for an average follow-up of 74 days. Of the young people receiving treatment, about two thirds are girls and one third boys.
In 2010, 74% of the young people evaluated have begun treatment at UCA, CEPS or CTAI. Before CTAI opened in 2008, only 55% of evaluated young people accepted treatment. CTAI has achieved its objective of reaching many teenagers who until then had refused treatment.
CEPS’ unique model has drawn great interest and approval from the international scientific community, and some specialists say that it is one of the few European suicide prevention programmes whose responses are quite well suited to distressed young people.
Cost
Children Action has contributed significant financial support to the HUG’s Children’s and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (SPEA) since 1996. From October 1996 to December 2010, the Foundation has contributed to the Units to fight against teenage suicide for an amount of CHF 9 053 000 (about 6 000 000 €).
Contacts
The team members are associated with the HUG.
Head of the UCA and the CTAI: Dr Aurora Venturini, psychiatrist, Geneva
Head of the Prevention Unit: Mrs Maja Perret Catipovic, psychologist, Geneva
Crisis and Prevention Units
Address: 20 avenue Beau-Séjour- 1206 Geneva
Telephone: 022 382 42 42
E-mail : preventionsuicide@hcuge.ch
website : http://www.preventionsuicide.ch
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