Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On January 17, 2025, a new suicide prevention centre, operated by the organisation ‘Un pass dans l’impasse,’ will officially open in Brussels. The intended goals of this effort include giving critical psychological assistance to suicidal persons, their families, other close kin, and self-employed employees in distress.
The centre is situated at the Solidaris Brabant site at the Rosa Family Planning Centre on Rue du Midi and will open on January 24, 2025.
Florence Ringlet, the therapeutic director of Un pass dans l’impasse, stated,
“Our goal is financial accessibility, with individual consultations in Brussels priced at €20 (partially reimbursed by health insurance) and family therapy at €25,”
This new site addition expands the organisation to nine centres in Wallonia as demand for mental health services grows in the Brussels-Capital Region.
There is a new suicide prevention centre launched in Brussels targeting to provide accessible psychological help for individuals and families on January 24, 2025. The opening of this centre addresses a special increase in applications for psychological assistance after the COVID-19 pandemic. Its necessity has been pointed out not only by the representatives of the general population with the help of questionnaires or interviews but also by healthcare workers. A recent survey conducted by Un pass dans l’impasse revealed alarming statistics: 35. For this, our Belgium survey pooled 7% of respondents who once had thoughts about suicide, though only 20.6% of these thoughts were within the last six months and common in Brussels and Wallonia only. Additionally, 11.2% had a plan for suicide attempts. The association also reported a 48% increase in consulting at nine of its operating sites in Wallonia over the last four years. It is from this data that one can appreciate the kind of mental health services that are lacking in this part of the world and which should considered as a humanitarian issue.
The centre will also provide individual and family consultations as an act of offering psychological assistance to troubled individuals and families. It would be interesting to note that the centre is financially accessible and thus aims to work with people who cannot afford therapy because of economic difficulties. It also focuses on integration with local health services to guarantee that the client gets the required combination of services depending on his needs.
What context surrounds this initiative?
Opening this suicide prevention centre is one way through which many organisations are trying to fight mental illnesses brought about by recent global disasters, more so during and after the pandemic. Mental health care is now an important issue in Belgium because of people’s deteriorating health and the tendency toward increased suicides, as well as the need for additional assistance services.
The formation of this centre testifies to governmental and non-governmental organisations’ intention to pay more attention to mental health issues and supply essential materials for people who have thoughts about suicide.
More similar action plans, such as the Suicide Line in Flanders, have been observed to receive a surge in use in recent years; in fact, the number of people calling this helpline reached more than 23,000 in 2022 alone. Flemish Minister for Welfare Hilde Crevits highlighted that “the Suicide Line is for many people the place where they talk about their suicidal thoughts for the first time,” indicating a growing recognition of the importance of addressing these issues openly.
However, awareness training in suicide risk is being offered in different sectors so as to enhance service provider’s ability to identify those people who may require assistance. With the public becoming more informed on mental health issues, communities are shifting their fight against the stigma and shame tag that comes with seeking treatment.
The institution of the new centre in Brussels will mean a major move towards the establishment of the latter as an efficient support system that will promote the growth of a strong sense of mental wellness in the general population. By providing accessible services and raising awareness about mental health issues, ‘Un pass dans l’impasse’ aims to make a meaningful impact on suicide prevention efforts throughout Belgium.
