Cozumel, Quintana Roo — In the first eight months of 2026, Cozumel has already matched the number of suicides recorded during all of last year, with eight cases reported, according to the Municipal Health Subdirectorate.
Juan Cámara, the island’s deputy director of health, said the increase is worrying because the figure reached by August corresponds to the total for 2025. He added that authorities have also intervened in situations where people showed signs of suicidal behavior but did not follow through.
One notable change is in the age profile. While minors were among the victims in previous years, the current cases involve mostly adults between 30 and 70 years old, health officials reported.
Cámara said specialists have linked the emotional crises to economic hardship, relationship problems, childhood abandonment, and a history of physical or emotional family violence. These experiences, he said, can later take a toll on a person’s mental health.
Karla Interian, a psychologist, stressed that each case requires individual evaluation. “There is no single cause that can explain suicidal behavior, so prevention must consider different risk factors,” she said.
In response, the Mental Health Council agreed to expand prevention activities through a program running from September 1 to October 10. The initiative will target schools, private businesses, public spaces, and municipal offices, with teams of psychologists, social workers, and trained personnel offering guidance and identifying people who may need specialized care.
The effort also aims to spot risk factors such as work-related stress, family problems, and financial difficulties.
Omar Pineda, a resident of the San Miguel neighborhood, said prevention also depends on better public information. “Sometimes a person is going through a crisis and those around them don’t know how to recognize the signs or where to ask for help,” he said.
Health authorities said they expect the campaign to improve detection of risk factors, make it easier to refer people to specialized services, and bring information to more sectors of the population.
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