After years of offering suicide prevention services in cities in Wallonia, Un pass dans l'impasse opened a centre in Brussels last January to deal with an ever-growing demand. In just one year, they helped over 300 people.
Located in the heart of the city on Rue du Midi, the centre provides psychological counselling for everyone struggling with suicidal thoughts or other mental health issues, including their loved ones.
Since the centre opened a year ago, it has been trying to keep up with ever-growing demand.
"We started to see more and more requests for suicide prevention services in Brussels, as the healthcare system in Brussels was saturated," Thomas Thirion, Managing Director of Un pass dans l'impasse, told The Brussels Times.
"Demand is growing, as there have unfortunately been more and more deaths by suicide in recent years," Thirion said. "In Belgium, suicide is the leading cause of death in the 15-54 age group. But we see that it even starts as young as 10."
Leading cause of death
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, demand for the centre's services have been rising steadily.
Calls for this type of prevention work come from the Brussels population itself, as well as pharmacists, psychologists, the region's health services and support structures for self-employed people.
As the main cause of death, suicide ranks higher in Brussels than traffic accidents and cancer among teenagers and adults up to 54. Every day, five Belgians die by suicide, placing Belgium among the countries with the highest suicide rate in the EU.
With demand for people asking for face-to-face care also continuing to grow in Brussels, Un pass dans l'impasse opened its first consultation centre in the Brussels-Capital Region one year ago, on 24 January.
A suicide prevention centre is opened by the 'Un pass dans l'impasse' organisation in Brussels, Friday, 17 January 2025. Credit: Belga / Lou Lampert
"We announced the opening of our centre, and we started with one consultation day. Immediately, we were fully booked."
Strikingly, nearly two-thirds of the people receiving support from the organisation are younger than 30 – confirming that young adults are severely affected by mental health issues.
A survey among Brussels and Wallonia residents conducted by the organisation shows that 35.7% of them have had suicidal thoughts at some point, 20.6% of them in the past six months. Additionally, over 10% of residents of Brussels and Wallonia have already planned their suicide.
In October 2025, the centre added two more consultation days to meet the growing demand. "In just one year, 300 people made appointments and 78 people received psychological help," he stressed.
Credit: Belga/Christian Erfurt
These figures are similar to those in the associations' nine other centres in Wallonia, such as in the cities of Liège, Charleroi and Mons. Over the past four years, the number of consultations increased by 48%.
The goal is to keep the centre affordable, Thirion underlined. Individual consultations in Brussels cost €20, family consultations cost €25. "Health insurance covers most of the costs, so a consultation is virtually free."
Becoming a 'sentinel'
The centres offer various types of services, Thirion said. "We offer psychological consultations by appointment, we provide training for professionals, and we raise awareness among the population about suicide prevention."
"We also involve those who want to get involved in suicide prevention by becoming so-called 'sentinels'. They are trained, made aware of the issue, and then join a community to get more involved in suicide prevention," he explained. "We can also intervene in schools and businesses when there has been a death by suicide."
In the last five years, the non-profit organisation has also focused on supporting self-employed people in difficulty.
According to the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI/RIZIV), the number of self-employed people who have been depressed for more than a year rose by 67% between 2016 and 2021, while the number of burnout cases increased by 47%.
Suicide prevention centre opened by the 'Un pass dans l'impasse' organisation in Brussels, Friday 17 January 2025. Credit: Belga/Lou Lampaert
"Every three days, a self-employed person dies by suicide in our country," Thirion said. "All these figures cannot be ignored and often reveal a hidden distress among self-employed people."
In the dark winter months, the non-profit also called on everyone to "collectively be vigilant" for signs that can be alarming for those close to someone struggling with suicidal thoughts, and to seek help if/when necessary.
The first type of signs is verbal, such as repeated desperate statements or a loss of meaning in life. Secondly, behavioural changes such as irritation, withdrawal and isolation can indicate psychological distress.
And thirdly, there are physical and emotional signs. These include severe fatigue, sleep or eating problems, pronounced fears or self-neglect.
If you are contemplating suicide and need to talk, help is available. You can contact Un pass dans l'impasse via 081/777.150 and www.un-pass.be. Support is provided exclusively in French.
For Dutch-language prevention services, please contact the Suicide Helpline on 1813, www.zelfmoord1813.be, or the regular mental health services. English speakers in need of help can call the 02 648 40 14 helpline or go to www.chsbelgium.org.
