Suicide prevention organisation 'Un pass dans l'impasse' presented its first centre in Brussels to the press on Friday.
The centre will offer psychological support through individual or family consultations to those contemplating suicide, their relatives, bereaved families, and self-employed workers or entrepreneurs in crisis. The Brussels centre complements the nine existing locations in Wallonia.
Located at the Solidaris Brabant premises within the Rosa Family Planning centre on Rue du Midi, it will be operational from 24 January.
"Our goal is financial accessibility, with individual consultations in Brussels priced at €20 (partially reimbursed by health insurance) and family therapy at €25," said the therapeutic director of Un pass dans l'impasse, Florence Ringlet.
Since the pandemic, requests for help in the Brussels-Capital Region have surged. They come from various sources: the general population, Brussels health and mental health services, struggling entrepreneurs, pharmacists and psychologists.
A survey conducted by the association among residents in Brussels and Wallonia found that 35.7% have had suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives, with 20.6% experiencing them in the past six months. Additionally, 11.2% have planned their suicide.
The association also reports a 48% increase in consultations over the past four years across its nine active sites in Wallonia.
