The main lecture hall at the WUM Didactic Center was completely full. The conference "The Power of Relationships" attracted a great deal of attention. It brought together a community of people for whom, as Dr Halszka Witkowska said, it was important to have the courage to help where others turned away. It is worth noting that the event was also attended by representatives of various state institutions, whose actions may help prevent suicides. The invitation was accepted by: Paulina Piechna-Więckiewicz, the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of National Education, Marta Maciążek from the Ministry of National Defence, Piotr Kulesza from the Prevention Office of the National Police Headquarters and Iwona Karolewska, the Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Team for Suicidal Prevention. Our university was represented by Dr Grzegorz Juszczyk, the Head of the Department of Public Health.
Numbers that hide tragedies
The conference focused primarily on the suicide crisis in adolescents. Recent years have witnessed a considerable increase in suicide attempts among children and adolescents. In 2025, almost 2,000 of them were recorded in Poland, which means that six children attempted suicide every day. However, as the experts emphasized, it was the tip of the iceberg. Only closest relatives know about numerous attempts, and there are also some that are known only to the people who made them. Almost the entire increase in suicide attempts in recent years is due to the fact that the number of suicide attempts among girls has increased drastically, i.e., by 215%. Unfortunately, many suicide attempts result in death, with 5 times more children dying from suicide than from drowning. Each of the numbers represents a personal tragedy. Therefore, it is so important to raise public awareness about the problem of suicides and to extend a helping hand to those who need help.
Relationships protect against crisis
Experts presenting at the conference paid special attention to the power of relationships, which are the strongest factor protecting against a suicide crisis. People who face suicidal thoughts in their lives need support which may be provided by people who are close. During the conference, Agnieszka Kozak discussed how the strength of relationships at home built resilience to crisis. Lucyna Kicińska focused on the role of relationships in the situation of peer violence. On the other hand, Dr Aleksandra Lewandowska concentrated on support for parents, thanks to which they might be able to effectively help their child in a crisis.
The full list of speakers and conference topics can be found on the Life Worth Talking platform. However, this website is worth visiting primarily because it is a source of expert knowledge in the field of coping with the suicide crisis of oneself or someone from our environment. It includes plenty of very practical tips for people who need help as well as for those who want to help. There is also an interactive video on it, in which the viewer decides the course of a conversation with somebody in crisis.
The conference was organized by: Life Worth Talking Foundation, the Polish Association of Suicidology, Medical University of Warsaw, Institute of Positive Education Foundation.
The event was held under the auspices of: the Minister of Health, the Minister of Education, the Minister of National Defence, the Human Rights Defender, the Ombudsman for Children and the Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw.
