Netherlands: More suicide cases were counted this year than in previous years. Especially young adults up to the age of thirty are taking their own lives.
A worrying aspect is that the suicide rate is generally not decreasing or leveling off, but continuing to rise, according to a spokesperson for 113 Suicide Prevention.
The red month, that's what the Current Dutch Suicide Registration Committee (CANS) calls it when more than 30 suicide cases are counted in one month.
This February, the calendar turned red as even more than 30 young adults took their own lives. Compared to last year's averages of just over 20 suicide cases per month, this year's trend has drastically worsened. The increase is much greater than expected.