An alert was issued earlier this week during the presentation of the 2025 balance sheet by the 'Somos Notícia' Psychological Assistance Service. This initiative belongs to the NGO Community Learning Centers, which works locally to defend and promote the human rights of children and adolescents.
Abel Saraiva highlighted that changes in mood constitute overwhelmingly the main reason for seeking assistance, a trend that has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic but has intensified annually. He stressed that diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and mixed manifestations surpass both family conflicts and domestic disruptive behaviors.
According to the Luso-Venezuelan professional, in 2025, the service provided assistance to 30,828 individuals, an increase of 124% compared to the 13,723 attended in the previous year. Of this total, 12,185 were children and adolescents, while 18,643 were adults.
When questioned about the large number of adults attended, Saraiva clarified that this occurs because children generally do not attend consultations alone, being accompanied by their families. Furthermore, he emphasized that any action aimed at child support requires the involvement of the family unit.
The psychologist detailed that one-third of the cases received presented some form of emotional affliction, including violence as a transversal aspect. He explained that, most of the time, victims of violence do not seek help directly because of this factor, but rather because they feel unwell, sad, anxious, or are facing difficulties.
Saraiva also warned that 37.6% of the adolescent population shows a clinical picture above the minimum threshold for suicide risk, an index higher than the 9.88% recorded in children aged 5 to 11 years. Additionally, he reported that 30 out of every 40 cases classified as imminent risk involve adolescents, with 40.3% being female, a group vulnerable to abuse, sexual violence, gender-based violence, and parental responsibility overload.
The specialist stressed that the age of onset for depression and anxiety has been decreasing over the years, resulting in new cases appearing increasingly early. Simultaneously, 20.1% of adult men assisted present a serious and imminent risk, linked to gender barriers that prevent them from seeking psychological support in time.
Another point raised by Abel Saraiva was that two in three cases with suicidal thoughts presented self-harm, which serves as an indicator of growing risk. Adolescents belonging to the LGBTIQ+ community registered 58.46% suicidal ideation, contrasting with 31.8% of the general population, indicating that the probability of suicide risk is over 50% for any adolescent who identifies with this community.
The NGO Cecodap – Community Learning Centers was established 41 years ago by Fernando Augusto Pereira, a Luso-Venezuelan, son of an emigrant from Espinho, with the objective of defending the Human Rights of children and adolescents in Venezuela. Subsequently, within Cecodap, Abel Saraiva created the Grow Without Violence Psychology Service, in response to the political protests of 2017 in Venezuela, and currently, the service assists thousands of young people annually.