London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Mental health issues that lead to suicide – another spreading disease

Mental health issues that lead to suicide – another spreading disease

More than half of the population will experience psycho-emotional symptoms associated with the new coronavirus health emergency. 
Those most affected will be those who reside in urban areas, health professionals and members of public order, according to specialists.

The social isolation, the proximity of the virus, the overexposure of the subject in the networks, the time we have been facing the pandemic aggravate the feelings of people, who are faced with a situation that is still unknown, explained Delia Icaza, doctor and coordinator of mental health of the Ministry of Health (Minsa). 

“Uncertainty is one of the feelings that most contributes to anxiety. Not knowing where it came in and who has it ... ", added Icaza.

The fear of dying, the economic and family repercussions can cause anxiety, fear, insomnia, depression, nostalgia, physical and mental exhaustion, frustration, impotence, headache, irritability, thoughts of suicide, addictions, hypochondria, loss of libido and obsessive compulsive traits are some of the symptoms that the population may experience as a result of the incursion of the new coronavirus, writes Carlos F. González, a psychologist, criminologist and university professor in an article published on the website of the University of Panama.

The psychological care of the Minsa, which is attended by a mental health professional, received 281 calls during the first week of May. 62% of the calls come from women, although some inquiries were from men who, due to cultural reasons, did not want to talk about it.

59% of calls are due to pandemic reactions, which is considered normal in the current situation.

Icaza explained that the statistics comply with the literature, which establishes that in case of emergencies and disasters, 1/3 or half of the affected population will experience psycho-emotional reactions. "In Panama we are all affected ...", said the Minsa specialist.

The figures have decreased in relation to the month of April when they reported between 150 and 200 calls a day. Psychological care is open from 7:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night, although the possibility of keeping it open 24 hours is being evaluated.

Amid the quarantine the country is experiencing to prevent the spread of the virus, the suicides do not stop. On Monday there were two cases: one of them was a man who threw himself from an apartment on Calle 50. He was a successful 30-year-old pastry chef of Aguadulceño origin. The other person who killed himself was another 47-year-old man, who was found by his daughter and wife at their home in La Alameda, Betania.

Suicides have had a significant increase in the last years in the world, where one occurs every forty seconds. Every year, more than 800,000 people commit suicide, becoming the second cause of death among young people after traffic accidents. "With respect to the Covid-19, it is necessary to intensify the measures that address the issue of suicide because it is probable that the situation could increase the cases of suicide," warned Icaza.

In Panama, young people between 15 and 29 years old and adults between 45 and 60 years old have the highest number of cases of suicide or attempted suicide.

In 2018 the suicide rate in Panama was around 3.5 per 100,000 people, which had come down from 2016 and 2005, when the rates were 4.3 and 6.5 per 100,000 people respectively.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×