A prevenção do suicídio em universidades federais do sudeste e sul do Brasil.

Abstract

Introduction: This research was started from the subject death wich still causes great discomfort to humankind. The subject matter remains a taboo in various cultures, it has turned into something that is not spoken spontaneously, and such detachment accentuates even more when the death stems from suicide, perhaps by the fact that the natural life cycle of man is broken. The researched problem arose from the observation of the growing number of people who kill themselves, in different regions all over the world, as well as in Brazil. Since they identify suicide as a public health problem, the World Health Organization proposed an Action Plan for Mental Health aimed at reducing of 10 percent the overall suicide rate. Brazil became a signatory of this action plan and implemented an Agenda for Strategic Actions for Suicide Surveillance and Prevention and Health Promotion encompassing the four-year period 2017-2020. In this proposal, the education segment was inserted as an actor and intervention agent, since the number of extermination of life also affects children, adolescents and university students Thus, it is imperative the debate on mental health in the university environment, allowing knowing the problem, seeking solutions and thereby increasing the prevention of suicide. The main objective of this study was to demonstrate how federal universities in Southeastern and Southern regions of Brazil are acting for the prevention of suicide of students and other agents, such as the servers, linked to them. By mapping the actions of these institutions for suicide prevention, describing and knowing the prevention policies and / or actions adopted by these universities. In theoretical terms, the research was supported by arguments about the suffering of the human being, based on arguments proposed by psychiatry, sociology and psychology. Regarding methods and procedures, the quantitative and qualitative approach was used, with descriptive, documental and bibliographic research. Data collection consisted of a questionnaire answered by the Pro-Rectors of Student Affairs and People Management from fifteen federal universities in the Southeast and Southern regions of Brazil. Additionally, representatives of an institution that has an Institutional Policy on Mental Health, the Federal University of Minas Gerais, were interviewed. Data treatment occurred by counting (absolute frequency) the number of responses using Likert scale, drawing the graphs that represented these numbers and finally making a detailed description of the case studied, namely UFMG. The results showed that some actions in a simple or combined way have been successful in promoting mental health and suicide prevention. Most of the universities that participated in this research carried out isolated suicide prevention campaigns and only one of those surveyed has an institutional mental health policy that guides these prevention actions. From the results, as a technological product, suggestions were made for the implementation of a Suicide Prevention Program for UFES. The present research belongs the area of Technological Innovation and Operations in the Public Sector.