Suicide is a cancer of the soul. How do suicidal thoughts work? Sasha Kasal and Roksana Taborska.

Saša Kasal and Roksana Táborská from the National Institute of Mental Health

Suicide is a cancer of the soul. How do suicidal thoughts work?

• It changes with age: the younger a person is, the more vulnerable they are - people learn different techniques to cope with problems throughout their lives.

• It varies with gender: men are more likely to commit suicide, while women are more likely to self-harm (globally, there are 3 to 4 male suicides for every one female suicide).

• It spreads like a contagion: if a suicide occurs in one class, it is a risk factor for all classmates.

• The surroundings can make it worse, just say "You can't do this to me," for example.

13,000 suicides in one year - roughly 4 deaths a day. That's the data for 2022. March and April are the riskiest.

Is it the computers now? Not at all. On the contrary, the numbers have been steadily declining since the '50s and '60s. It's only since 2019 that they're starting to pick up again. Why?

The cause is never one: covid, black prospects for the future, social networks, long waits for psychologists, addictive substances, even genetic predisposition.

• What to do if someone confides in you with the intention of committing suicide?

• Will the psychologist fire you?

• Is there any way to develop a family?

We unpacked the stigma of suicide together with Sasha Kasal and Roksana Táborská from the National Institute of Mental Health in our podcast.

Apologies to all for the lower intelligibility of the male voices. The original recording has been severely damaged and what you hear is the result of painstaking reconstruction.