Canada will launch its national three-digit 988 suicide prevention hotline in 2023, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced on Wednesday.
Posted at 6:26 p.m.
“People across Canada will have an easy-to-remember phone number, even in times of crisis, to easily get help,” the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said in a statement. .
This will make 988 faster to dial and eliminate the difficulty associated with remembering a seven- or ten-digit number, the agency said, adding that this number was selected because it is “easily recognizable” and “stands out”. harmonizes with the suicide prevention number adopted in the United States”.
On July 15, the United States changed from the 10-digit national suicide prevention number to 988. Canada, for its part, aims to introduce it by November 2023. In the meantime, residents of Quebec can continue to call 1-866-277-3553 or visit suicide.ca for text and online chat support.
Facilitate access to resources
“For several years, several provinces have wanted the telephone answering system to be unified across Canada and to be available at all times,” explains Jérôme Gaudreault, president and CEO of the Quebec Association for the Prevention of Suicide.
He argues that 988 is an easy number to promote, remember and dial.
It can therefore facilitate access to resources for people who are vulnerable or in a suicidal crisis.
Jérôme Gaudreault, President and CEO of the Quebec Association for Suicide Prevention
However, he hopes that sufficient resources will be allocated for this transition. “If we have an easier number, there will probably be more calls on the line. If so, the responsible organizations need to have increased funding to be able to hire enough staff,” he says.
Currently, when you call the Quebec suicide prevention line, the response is immediate. “It’s important, but it requires that we have resources available to answer the phone,” said Mr. Gaudreault, who expects the same reaction speed if 988 is established in the province.
For its part, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) welcomed this announcement. “CAMIMH has long advocated for mental health to be considered on par with physical health and addictions, and this mental health crisis hotline is a critical step in that direction,” said CAMIMH. she said in a statement.