Preventing suicide has a cost that must be assumed

“I’m worried every day,” said the executive director of Suicide Action Montreal recently.

She made such remarks about the possibility of a possible break in service, as part of a report by our journalist Léa Carrier on the problems facing the organization she heads.

An organization, it should be remembered, that saves lives on a regular basis.

But accomplishing his mission became increasingly difficult. Because Suicide Action Montreal, like other organizations working in the field of suicide prevention, is in the midst of a perfect storm.

He’s been hit hard by the shortage of health care workers. He is therefore unable to recruit as many employees as he wishes to intervene with people in a suicidal crisis and their loved ones.

Suicide Action Montreal must therefore call on more volunteers. But the problem is that their numbers keep dropping. Within the organization, there are at least 25% less today compared to the period before the pandemic.

Hence the concerns, while the demand for aid services has jumped due to the health crisis. The distress has increased, but not the number of responders.

The situation is much the same in the rest of Quebec, where there are 29 suicide prevention centers that offer interventions over the phone, but also, in some cases, by text message and chat.

The president of the Regroupement des centers de prevention du suicide du Québec, Lynda Poirier, explained to us that the upheavals linked to the pandemic have prompted the centers to develop strategies to compensate. So that, for example, some can take over if others are overwhelmed.

Consequently, the message we are trying to convey has not changed: if you or someone close to you needs help, above all, do not hesitate to call on suicide prevention centres.

The safety net still exists and help is available.

But at the same time, the fragility of these centers must challenge us. And push Quebec to react.

In the best of cases, the economic situation represents a considerable challenge both for the administrators and for the employees, who no longer have time to breathe between interventions which, one suspects, are sometimes trying.

“Do you have to go out of your way to ensure that a responder responds? Yes. Do we have all the resources to have peace of mind? The answer is no, explains Lynda Poirier. We’re getting there somehow, but we need more staff. »

At the Center Suicide Action Montreal, it is even reported that the response rate has decreased. Which means, in practice, that we can no longer answer 100% of the calls received.

There are not thirty-six solutions to solve the problems of these centers. They need more speakers.

The government cannot, on the one hand, encourage people to seek help and, on the other hand, not ensure that there are enough responders.

As wages have increased in the health network in general, community organizations such as suicide prevention centers no longer have the weight.

Their workers are no longer paid well enough compared to equivalent positions in the health network.

They therefore also need more resources to improve the working conditions of their employees.

It should also be noted that the long-term solution does not lie with volunteers. In fact, throughout Quebec, less and less use is made of their services in suicide prevention centers because of the complexity of the cases that the workers are dealing with. The norm now is to rely on specialized stakeholders.

Finding solutions to enable these centers to maintain their level of service is as urgent as the work they do is remarkable.