An upsurge in suicide attempts has prompted Groupe Signature sur le Saint-Laurent (SSLG) to “initiate a reflection” on safety at the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge (PSDC), while experts worry about the increase in distress all over the company for the past few months.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have indeed seen an upsurge in events involving people in psychological distress. We will be monitoring particularly closely the coming months to determine whether this is a one-off situation or a major trend, ”says consortium director of operations, Martin Chamberland.
According to figures from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), four suicides and two attempts occurred in 2021 on the Samuel-De Champlain bridge, while on the Jacques-Cartier bridge, there were five suicide attempts. Normally these numbers are much lower. In 2020, no suicide had been recorded; rather, they were two attempts on the Champlain Bridge and one on Jacques-Cartier.
“We are talking about a sharp increase in attempts or, at least, an upsurge. It is always alarming when a person ends his own life, but here we have a situation that is important enough for us to pay particular attention to it, ”explains SQ spokesperson Benoît Richard.
The year before, in 2019, there was one suicide at the Champlain Bridge between July and December. Between January and June of that year, there had been none on the two bridges. And in 2018, the authorities had identified three attempts on the old Champlain Bridge, and none on the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
At Urgences-santé, spokesperson Stéphane Smith said he was “not surprised” by these figures. “It’s a lot, but with the year we had, I’m not really surprised,” he reasoned.
It’s not just distress, it’s also mental fatigue, exhaustion. There are several factors that come into play. We have had an extremely difficult year, and people, as you can see, are more tired.
Stéphane Smith, spokesperson at Urgences-santé
Should we do more?
Since 2003, the Jacques-Cartier Bridge has been equipped with an “anti-suicide barrier”, a measure that has considerably reduced its number. At the time, it was the growing number of suicides that forced the authorities to act, under popular pressure.
This type of “dissuasive barrier” is also found on the new Samuel-De Champlain bridge, along the multifunctional path. Concrete guardrails, with steel extensions, were also installed along the road corridors. A 24/7 video surveillance system and emergency intercoms directly linked to the SQ are also available on deck.
But in view of this upsurge, perhaps more should be done, admits the SSLG. “A reflection will be initiated by the actors involved in the operation of the PSDC in order to determine whether measures should be implemented to improve the situation”, said Mr. Chamberland in this regard, ensuring that “the safety of users is a priority” . “We are closely monitoring the suicide situation on the Samuel-De Champlain Bridge and we remain in close collaboration with Infrastructure Canada and the SQ, in order to react with diligence,” he assures us.
Social trend on the rise
These increases are not unrelated to what’s happening elsewhere in the rest of society, confirms DD Mélissa Généreux, professor-researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sherbrooke, who has been leading a study on suicidal ideation since 2020, based on a sample of 10,000 respondents.
Before the pandemic, polls showed that about 3% of adults were seriously considering suicide. During our first three soundings, in November 2020, then February and June 2021, we were already around 6%. Then, more recently, last October, it was around 7%, especially in southern Quebec. We are therefore clearly following an upward trend.
The DD Mélissa Généreux, professor-researcher at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sherbrooke
But what struck her most was among young people aged 18 to 24. “From the start, this group was around 8% of serious suicidal thoughts. It remained around 7 to 8% in February. Then in June, it rose to 9%. In October, we had reached 11%, ”explains DD Generous, for whom the numbers are particularly marked during the transition to adulthood.
At Suicide Action Montreal, there was a 28% increase in interventions in November 2021 compared to last year, when the increase was already 10%. “If the trend continues, at the end of this year, we should register an increase of 45%. It’s huge, knowing that last year we already had a 22% increase, ”confirms Director of Communications Sophie-Charlotte Dubé-Moreau. Her colleague Camille Martin-Émond, worker, affirms that distress “is very palpable in terms of the content of the calls that we receive”. “It’s something you notice on the line. That worries us, that’s for sure, but at the same time, it reassures us to see that people are using our services, ”she concludes.
If you need assistance, the Suicide Prevention Service of Canada can be reached anytime at 833 456-4566. To reach Suicide Action Montreal, dial 1 866 277-3553.
Decrease in emergency room visits
According to a report from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) published in November, the annual rate of emergency room visits due to a suicide attempt seems, however, to “have decreased”, “slightly more. important than the trend observed since 2016 ”. “This report does not study all suicidal behavior, it only opens a small window on what we can look at in health banks”, however specifies the epidemiologist of the INSPQ Pascale Lévesque on this subject, recalling “that there are people who have made an attempt who may not have gone to the emergency room”. “We can see that in 2020 there is a decrease in emergency room visits for suicidal thoughts, but we can see this decrease for all emergency room visits. The most logical reasoning is that people may have been afraid to go to the emergency room, especially when there were more draconian health measures, ”explains the expert. She recalls that the coroner’s figures, which are to be published in the coming months, will probably shed new light on this reality.