Suicide Prevention | Raising hope to save lives

Unless we are personally affected by suicide, we can easily think that it only concerns others: other families, other workplaces, other communities. In fact, some 4,000 people die by suicide in Canada each year, 75% of them men. Among men aged 15 to 39, it is the second leading cause of death.

Michael Rodrigue
President and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada

For every person who dies by suicide, many more have suicidal thoughts or attempts, and many more suffer the painful ripple effects. These impacts put survivors of suicide loss or attempted suicide at higher risk for suicidal behaviors (as do Indigenous people and 2SLGBTQ+ youth, among others).

But it shouldn’t be that way.

On the contrary, it is not necessary to have direct or professional experience of the problem to be part of its solution.

Today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, we celebrate the power we all have to reduce the number of suicides and attempted suicides around the world.

At its core, suicide prevention and life promotion are all about hope. At the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), we nurture hope through open, positive conversations, and inspire hope through concrete, personalized action. Our work involves collaborating with community leaders, people with lived experience, policymakers and researchers to raise awareness about suicide and spark promising practices and life-saving conversations. .

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to suicide prevention that will resonate with everyone, small actions can go a long way. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of a chat to give hope and give the person a sense of connection in a moment of isolation.

Open chat

It is often mistakenly believed that if you ask a person if they are thinking of suicide, they will be encouraged to do so. In fact, asking her the question directly is actually letting her know that you care about her and acknowledge her pain. You also open the door to continue the conversation. In this way, the person in need of help has the opportunity to express their needs in a safe environment and you can refer them to additional resources.

In the age of COVID-19, these conversations about suicide and mental health in general are more crucial than ever. In a MHCC-commissioned survey of 13,000 Canadians throughout the pandemic, 7.9% of respondents indicated they were seriously considering suicide. Despite this growing need, access to services and supports remains low.

Fortunately, several promising practices are advancing the field of suicide prevention and helping to fill the gaps.

For example, through the three-digit Suicide Prevention Hotline that was recently implemented in the United States and will be launched in November 2023 across Canada, people can call or text 988 to reach a professional. of mental health. The MHCC has long called for the creation of such a suicide prevention line in Canada to provide an easy-to-remember and easy-to-reach resource in the event of a crisis.

There has also been remarkable progress with regard to the security surrounding the means of suicide, that is to say the identification of the methods used and the places where suicides occur and the measures taken to increase their security. Small changes, like gates at railroad crossings, safe storage of firearms, and protocols for accessing medications, can make our homes and communities safer.

Leaders and other community gatekeepers can also drive change by learning more about suicide prevention and life promotion, providing specialized services to those at high risk, and educating residents about available services and support systems. in their region. Through Roots of Hope, the MHCC’s community-based suicide prevention program, we have seen how the actions of a handful of dedicated individuals can create a powerful movement.

Suicide can affect people from all walks of life at any time; the same goes for prevention. By creating hope and promoting action at all levels, we can turn individual loss into a collective response. This is the kind of ripple effect I want to contribute to.