A helpful email for a young person in Germany

Suicide is still a social taboo, although in Germany one person dies by suicide every hour (Federal Statistical Office, 2020b). Among young people, suicide is even the second most common cause of death (German Depression Aid Foundation, 2020). Eight out of ten people who take their own lives announce their act beforehand. Many of them long for support above all; they want to be seen with their worries and suffering. Young people in particular often lack people who can show them a way out of the crisis during a critical phase of their lives. Even if they manage to open up, the people they talk to are usually afraid of saying something wrong and perhaps encouraging the person concerned in their suicidal thoughts. The fear of this topic extends to scientific research and education. As a result, numerous cries for help remain unheard to this day and suicide attempts, especially by young people under 25, go undetected. People who turn to counseling centers in confidence therefore need people who will listen to them and take their concerns and worries seriously.