A recent study shows clear differences between the sexes: close family is important for girls with suicidal thoughts, whereas activities such as sports, leisure activities or other hobbies provide particularly good protection for boys. Every year, more than 600 people in Norway take their own lives. This sad statistic has remained stable for decades.
Two out of three people who commit suicide are men, and the number of suicides in Norway increased last year. "We all need to put down roots and have a sense of belonging. The antidote to loneliness is to be part of something and have a place to be yourself," says Victoria Bakken, who is a Ph.
D. candidate at NTNU. She has recently published her initial findings on the factors that can help to prevent young people from committing suicide.
What helps boys may not necessarily be the same as what helps girls. The study shows that there are clear differences between the sexes: A different approach is required for boys "For girls, it is important to be able to seek support from parents—because it is important to have someone to talk to. For boys, it is much harder to talk about suicidal thoughts.
"Many boys say they don't want to bother or worry their loved ones. This prevents them from talking to someone about their problems. We have to use other approaches when it comes to boys," says Bakken.
Many of her sources described their adolescence as a black hole, but a change of environment made them see life and the future in a brighter .