Did you know suicide is the second biggest killer in the 15-35-year-old age group? With people not knowing exactly what they are facing, a dark path emerges ahead that leads them down a path from which it’s hard to get out without help from experts.
A 10-person team of experts, consisting of UM visiting lecturer and psychiatrist, Dr Mark Xuereb, have developed a new tool to help cope with what is being termed as the darker pandemic that is expected to have more long-lasting effects than COVID-19 itself – the mental health toll that comes along with it.
This tool, the first of its kind in Malta, and designed and built in Malta, comes in the form of a mobile app called Kriżi (meaning Crisis), and is the result of the work experienced by the Crisis Resolution team over the past 10 years. It is designed to be clear, straight-forward and easy on the eye and mind, offering easy-to-follow steps to bring the user to safety.
But although one can say it’s made entirely in-house, it currently provides assistance in Maltese and English, and eventually in other languages like Italian and Swedish, in a simple and direct way, allowing access to free therapy.
Features include mood and suicidal-thought tracking through a series of questions, recommendations of activities to deter suicidal thoughts, and access to support networks. An anonymous chat line as well as a crisis button, which puts the user in direct contact with a therapist, or dispatches help immediately if therapy cannot change the current thought trajectory, are also easily accessible.
The app is crucial in the gathering of statistics of people who report an issue with their mental health, which is not just an international guidance requirement but it will help create and tailor appropriate treatment protocols that are shaped to our local culture.
Dr Xuereb told Newspoint that the ultimate aim of the app is to help stop suicidal behaviour and thoughts, as outlined in the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
“There are gaps in the healthcare system, and we must pull our socks up to address this imbalance between physical and mental health. The app will teach us what is working and what isn’t, and it will reinforce the need to keep improving relentlessly”, he added.
You can download the app through Google Play Store or Apple Store, and is completely free of charge.
A 24/7 crisis specialist line is also available through 99339966. Visit the Crisis Resolution Malta Facebook Page for more information.