Torrevieja will host the 4th National Congress of the Spanish Society of Suicidology

On September 18th, the Torrevieja International Auditorium will host the IV National Congress of the Spanish Society of Suicidology, with the collaboration of the Torrevieja City Council through its Department of Public Health. This is a leading event in the field of mental health and suicide prevention, bringing together leading specialists, researchers, educators, and institutional representatives.

This morning, the Councilor for Health, Prevention, and Health Promotion of Torrevieja City Council, Rosa Cañón; the Councilor for Education, Ricardo Recuero; the Manager of the Torrevieja Health Department, José Cano; and the Head of the Psychiatry Service at Torrevieja University Hospital, Jesús Mesones, presented this fourth congress. Under the slogan "Talk, educate, prevent," it will offer a comprehensive and multidisciplinary program that will address the main current challenges in suicide prevention.

The event will be inaugurated by the Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, with an institutional panel and a presentation on the latest developments in suicide prevention at the national and regional levels.

Later, José Martínez Raga and Jesús Mesones will analyze the relationship between insomnia, hopelessness, and the importance of sleep as a key factor in suicide prevention. The conference will also provide space for reflection on mental health in sports, with the roundtable "Elite Sport vs. Mental Health," featuring psychologist Lola Collado and Olympic medalist Daniel Plaza.

Attendees will also be able to learn about the latest advances in research with the presentation "The Genetics of Suicide: A Smartomics Study," presented by Enrique Baca and Lucía Albarracín. The morning session will conclude with an in-depth analysis of the relationship between suicide and serious mental disorders, such as first psychotic episodes and depression, led by Rafael Mora and María Pardo.

The role of educational centers as agents of prevention will also have a prominent place at the congress, with a roundtable discussion dedicated to "Suicide Prevention in the Classroom," organized by the General Directorate of Educational Innovation and Inclusion and the Directorate of Mental Health and Addictions, moderated by Ricardo Recuero, Councilor for Education at Torrevieja City Council.

The event will conclude with a keynote address by Luis Gutiérrez Rojas, a psychiatrist and renowned educator, who will address the importance of raising social awareness about suicidal behavior. The event will conclude with the presentation of the conclusions and the closing ceremony.

The holding of this congress takes on special significance as it falls during the same month as World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10. This date, promoted by the World Health Organization and the International Association for Suicide Prevention, seeks to highlight a reality that remains a major public health problem and to remind everyone of the need to join forces across all spheres—healthcare, education, community, and institutional—to reduce the numbers and offer hope to those experiencing suffering.

AN OPEN AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONGRESS

The conference is aimed at healthcare professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers), educators, counselors, pedagogues, communicators, university students, as well as associations and family members committed to prevention and support for people in vulnerable situations.

REGISTRATIONS

Registration will be open until September 10, 2025, coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day . All information and the registration form are available at: www.congresosuicidologia.es .

PROGRAM

-9:00-9:45 hours.

Accreditation and delivery of materials (Torrevieja International Auditorium).

-9:45 - 10:00 hours.

Institutional table:

Eduardo Dolón, José Cano, Bartolomé Pérez and Jesús Mesones.

-10:00 - 10:30 hours.

Roundtable - New developments in suicide prevention at the national and regional levels.

Andoni Anseán and Eduardo Aguilar.

-10:30 – 11:15 hours

Table - Insomnia and hopelessness, the importance of sleep in suicide prevention.

José Martínez Raga and Jesús Mesones.

-11:15 – 12:00 hours

Table - Elite sport vs. mental health.

Lola Collado and Daniel Plaza.

-12:00 – 12:45 hours

Table - The genetics of suicide: Smartomics study.

Enrique Baca and Lucía Albarracín.

-12:45 – 14:00 hours

Table - Suicide in severe mental illness: first psychotic episodes and depression.

Rafael Mora and María Pardo.

-3:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Roundtable - Postvention: The Voice of Survivors

Moderated by: Raquel Martínez.

Lucia Abietar and Ascencion Moreno.

-4:45 PM - 6:00 PM

Suicide prevention in the classroom.

Moderated by: Ricardo Recuero.

Department of Education and Department of Health of the Generalitat Valenciana.

-6:00 PM - 6:45 PM

Keynote lecture: Talk, educate, prevent.

Luis Gutiérrez Rojas.

-18:45 - 19:00 hours

Conclusions and closing.

Rosa Cañón and Jesús Mesones.

SPEAKERS

Ana Navarro.

Nurse. Research Supervisor. Torrevieja Health Department.

Andoni Anseán.

A psychologist, he chairs the Spanish Society of Suicidology and the Spanish Foundation for Suicide Prevention and directs the Master's Degree in Suicide Prevention at Pablo de Olavide University.

Ascension Moreno.

Suicide survivor. Volunteer at the Talitha Association (Albacete).

  Bartholomew Perez.

Director General of Mental Health and Addictions. A psychiatrist specializing in community mental health, he has worked on implementing suicide prevention strategies in clinical and social settings.

Daniel Plaza.

Gold Medal. Race Walking. 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Eduardo Aguilar.

A psychiatrist with a background in research on affective disorders, he has contributed to studies on suicide risk factors and prevention.

  Enrique Baca.

Professor of Psychiatry at the Autonomous University of Madrid and head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation. He is the author of numerous publications on suicidal behavior.

Blanca Foundation for supporting athletes.

Organization dedicated to promoting mental health and preventing suicide, especially in sports and youth, in memory of athlete Blanca Fernández Ochoa.

Jesus Mesones.

Head of the Psychiatry Department at Torrevieja University Hospital. Professor of the Medical Degree at UCAM. Vice President of the Spanish Society of Suicidology.

José Martínez.

Head of the Psychiatry Department at Doctor Peset University Hospital. Associate Professor at the University of Valencia.

Lola Collado.

Psychologist at the Person and Health Foundation.

Lucia Abietar.

Director of the Talitha Association (Albacete).

Lucia Albarracín.

A psychologist specializing in crisis intervention and suicide prevention, she has developed psychological support programs in clinical and community settings.

Luis Gutiérrez Rojas.

Psychiatrist at the San Cecilio Clinical Hospital in Granada. Professor at the University of Granada. He specializes in bipolar disorder and is a mental health educator. He is also President of the Andalusian Group for the Study of Bipolar Disorder (GETBA), recognized for his research and teaching work.

Maria Pardo.

Psychiatrist at the Child and Adolescent Hospitalization Unit of the Provincial Hospital Consortium of Castellón.

Rafael Mora.

Psychiatrist. Head of the Mental Health Department of the Castellón Provincial Hospital Consortium. Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Jaume I University of Castellón.

Raquel Martinez.

Psychologist at the Adult Mental Health Unit, Torrevieja University Hospital. Master's degree in Suicidal Behavior Prevention. Extensive experience in suicide bereavement intervention.

Ricardo Recuero.

Teacher. Councilor for Education at Torrevieja City Council.