Preventing suicide starting with a collective promise

(Montreal) Suicide is not an option. Could we make this statement a promise to ourselves to which 8.6 million Quebecers adhere? This is what the Quebec Association for the Prevention of Suicide (AQPS) and its CEO Jérôme Gaudreault, who testified Monday as part of the public inquiry of the Coroner’s Office on the theme of suicide in Quebec, want.

In Mr. Gaudreault’s opinion, a vast campaign deploying resources at all levels and spanning several years could lead to a profound change of culture in Quebec society so that suicide is no longer seen as a solution to suffering.

“It is when each of us makes the commitment both individually and collectively that suicide is not an acceptable way out of distress that profound change can take place,” he declared before the coroner^e Julie-Kim Godin at the Trois-Rivières courthouse.

He pointed out that in a few decades of sustained awareness campaigns, legislative changes and behavioral transformation, Quebec has reduced the number of road deaths from nearly 1,500 in 1980 to 347 in 2021. By way of comparison, we lists an average of 1,100 deaths by suicide each year in Quebec.

Could we achieve the same tour de force with deaths by suicide?

This is in a way the reasoning submitted by the CEO of the AQPS who deplores the fact that suicide prevention has never been the subject of a real national campaign. To add to the discomfort, even National Suicide Prevention Week does not benefit from recurring public funding and must rely on sponsors to survive.

Jérôme Gaudreault recalls that when we collectively decided to act on the roads, we moved on all fronts. We have acted on the law, on awareness, on road safety, on car safety, we have monitored drink-driving more closely and the results are spectacular.

If we were to transpose this strategy to the cause of suicide, Mr. Gaudreault would like us to emphasize the notoriety of help resources, the destigmatization of distress, the promotion of asking for help and the promotion of protective factors.

“We never had the chance to have this impact,” he regrets.

However, the situation could change if the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, unveiled last month, is eventually implemented. In particular, the investment of 65 million is provided for.

In an interview with The Canadian Press after his presentation, Mr. Gaudreault returned to the notion of “social prohibition” which once weighed on the gesture of taking one’s life. Under the weight of religion and even of the law which made it a crime, there was no question of taking action.

If this social prohibition fell at the same time as the yoke of the Church, Mr. Gaudreault believes that it can be revived in another way, by a tightening of the social safety net. According to him, family circles, circles of friends, sports teams, groups of colleagues or social groups should serve as opportunities to talk about prevention and opportunities to reach out for help. .

The public inquiry chaired by M^e Godin is in the recommendations and representations phase. The ultimate goal of this work is for the coroner to make recommendations to help prevent other tragedies.

Remember that this public inquiry was ordered by the Chief Coroner of Quebec, Ms.^e Pascale Descary, in September 2019, following the deaths of Mikhaël Ryan, Joceline Lamothe, Suzie Aubé, Jean-François Lussier, Marc Boudreau and Dave Murray.