Four to eight suicides have been prevented every day since Crisis Resolution Malta (CRM) launched their mental health awareness billboard campaign last month, psychiatrist and organisation leader Mark Xuereb told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

CRM’s public campaign was launched during suicide prevention week 5 – 11 September, featuring their crisis helpline number 99339966 as well as their KRIZI app on billboards around Malta and Gozo.

Xuereb highlighted some of the success stories of the campaign which saw CRM team members aiding people from all walks of lives and differing age groups, including individuals facing racial discrimination, substance induced paranoia, unemployment and ageing illnesses amongst others.

He noted that in tackling some of the concerns of those going through a crisis, many of the individuals who were at “imminent risk” of taking their own lives, would then go on to say that they couldn’t believe they had recently been contemplating doing so.

Xuereb described how, when in a state of crisis, a person would be experiencing a translogic state of mind, likened to a dreamlike state, wherein the mind loses the ability to rationalise due to a severe increase of anxiety inducing changes in the functioning of the brain.

He noted that seeing an increased amount of stress could happen to anyone, so could a crisis happen to anyone and that in order to achieve equality in mental health for an equal chance of recovery, equal access to information and practitioners for mental health is paramount.

Xuereb said that the government’s budget for mental health was still far too low, despite some advances having been made and so he continues to ask for more support.

Xuereb remarked that in addition to stopping a person from taking their own life, one would also be preventing damage to many of the lives of those close to that person.