Recently I was interviewed by Kaleidascope,an organization that provides youth with skills for the workplace. They were doing a video about bullying  and were interested in the relationship between bullying and suicide particularly amongst youth.

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“I don’t think there’s a Liberal or a Conservative or a New Democrat who can say we’ve all done enough,” said interim Grit leader Bob Rae. “Frankly, we haven’t done enough.”

The Liberals tabled a motion to call on the government to create Canada’s first suicide strategy. Rae says it would provide a framework to unite governments, organizations and suicide prevention resources.

“I’ve had friends who have taken their own lives,” Rae said. “When it happens, it is a completely bewildering experience.”

Conservative MP Harold Albrecht tabled legislation in the House of Commons last week to call on the government to establish a framework for suicide prevention.

Statistics indicate suicide is the leading cause of death in men ages 25 to 29 and 40 to 44, women ages 30 to 34, and the second leading cause of death among youth.

Sen. Romeo Dallaire also joined Rae at a news conference to discuss how mental illness has plagued members of the Canadian Forces and their families.

“How many casualties have we had really, in Afghanistan?” said Dallaire. “Is it those, only who have died in theatre or is it also those who have died at

their own hands subsequently because of the mental injuries they had overseas?”

The former head of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Rwanda experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder within months of returning home from the mission.

Dallaire attempted suicide several times but learned to cope through medication and intense therapy.

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Russ Courtnall, a former NHL player, advisor to the Collateral Damages Project and someone who knows firsthand the tragedy of suicide believes that “suicide prevention and mental health promotion are important and pressing issues among professional athletes. Both professional and amateur sporting organizations, including the NHL, can play and important role in suicide prevention. It also requires leadership on a national level and from the national government.”
September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. On that day communities across Canada will take time to remember those who have died by suicide, support and acknowledge those who grieve and promote suicide awareness and local suicide prevention initiatives. The theme for this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day in Canada is “Building Suicide Safer Communities” which is a new national initiative being launched by Livingworks and the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention along with other partners such as the Canadian Mental Health Association and Collateral Damages. For more information on this initiative visit http://suicidesafercommunities.com/ . Dammy Damstrom-Albach, President of CASP stated that “While communities, service organizations and provincial and territorial governments across Canada are doing their part for suicide prevention it is time for the Government of Canada to do theirs and share the burden of responsibility.” She went on to state that” Leading up to and after Sept. 10th we hope that Canadians will contact their Member of Parliament and ask them to demonstrate their concern and compassion by supporting the call for a National Suicide Prevention Strategy and National Suicide Prevention Coordinating Body.”

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http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/local/article/944869–depression-doesn-t-discriminate

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The prize for the best presentation is $5000 which goes to  the chosen charity. This programme is funded by the Tolkan foundation.
I am very excited to tell you that two groups of these wonderful students have won this prize for our Society. They are from Garibaldi Secondary and Delta Secondary. Congratulations to everyone who has taken part in raising awareness about suicide amongst our precious youth.
All the groups who have visited the Society have shown so much interest and caring about this topic, wanting to know how to recognize signs of possible suicide and where to find help.
The Society cannot thank them all enough.

I want to give special mention to the group from Riverside Secondary(Salimah, Jakky, Bita) who also got to the finals and put on an amazing floor hockey tournament in memory of their 14 year old friend who died by suicide last year.
These funds will be put to good use in reducing stigma and educating youth and those around them about prevention of suicide.
We will post some clips of their presentations very soon. Thanks to all the students that have taken part in this wonderful programme.

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interesting article

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Ottawa Citizen November 25, 2010

Suicide is not just a health issue — it is a social and community issue. It is complex, it is a national tragedy and, most important, it is preventable. There is hope. Keeping hope alive and saving lives requires everyone’s involvement, and that must include the federal government.
Canada needs to join the family of countries who heeded both the United Nations’ and World Health Organization’s call to action and established national suicide prevention strategies and also allocated resources to support the co-ordination of suicide prevention across their countries.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) is encouraged by recent efforts of some parliamentarians to address this critical public-health issue, such as the parliamentary committee on palliative and compassionate care that included suicide among its priority issues and a private member’s bill that was recently tabled calling for a national suicide prevention strategy.
These efforts demonstrate leadership and compassion — it is time for the federal government to do the same. The government has made no direct investments in suicide prevention outside of its obligation to First Nations communities. Our association looks forward to working with all federal parties and the government in addressing this critical and pressing social and community health issue.
In the meantime, CASP ( www.suicideprevention.ca)encourages all Canadians to learn more about how they can support suicide prevention, to know when to ask about suicide, what to do and how to support those who have been affected by a suicide death.
More than three million Canadians know the trauma of a suicide death and it is important for relatives, friends and the larger community to support people throughout the grief process.
The following items are some suggestions on how to assist survivors directly:
- . Respect the timing and pacing of an individual’s grief process. It is a difficult journey. Encourage them to make choices that are right for them.
- . Offer compassionate listening, understanding and patience. Offer to do some specific tasks or chores.
- . Reassure survivors what they are feeling is normal.
- . Find out what supports are available in the community regarding a suicide loss.
- . Contact the bereaved person on a regular basis.
- . Research the impact of suicide loss. This will help you provide support to survivors in healthy ways.
- . Be courageous and approach those who have lost a loved one by suicide. Let them know you heard. Ask them how they really are. This is important.
Joan Seabrook,
London
CASP vice-president and survivor chair

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A strategy could integrate research, treatment, education, crisis intervention and bereavement; it could identify best practices and act as a policy agenda in efforts to reduce a rarely discussed but all-too-common problem.

While few people are comfortable speaking about suicide, the numbers reveal just how common it is: According to the World Health Organization, nearly one million people commit suicide each year, which, astonishingly, is more than the number of people who die in wars and civil strife.

Despite Canada’s generally high standard of living, we are not immune from the problem: According to the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention ( CASP), more than 4,000 Canadians die from suicide each year, which amounts to more than 10 people a day. Compare that with the 610 homicides police reported in 2009.

And of 82 countries that report suicide statistics, Canada ranks 26th, which means our suicide rate is higher than nearly 70 per cent of reporting countries.

These statistics are only the tip of the iceberg, however, since there are many attempted suicides for every completed one. According to CASP, for every suicide, there are an estimated 22 emergency-room visits and five hospitalizations for suicide-related behaviours, which works out to about 88,000 emergency-room visits a year.

This takes a tremendous toll on those who attempt suicide, who sometimes have to live with permanent injuries, and also on family and friends. It takes a toll on society, too: The estimated cost of non-fatal suicide-related behaviours is $ 33,000 to $ 308,000 per person.

This is clearly a significant problem — one we would expect the government to tackle. And for a while, it looked as though the feds would In 1993, Canada hosted a meeting of experts to devise suicide-prevention guidelines for the United Nations.

The development of the guidelines led the UN and the World Health Organization to call on member nations to develop their own strategies, and many countries did so. The U. S. continues to move forward, recently announcing, on World Suicide Prevention Day ( Sept. 10) the formation of an alliance of public and private partners. Yet Canada has failed to follow through.

An article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says the government offers several reasons for its failure to act. First, it says that the Mental Health Commission of Canada is responsible. Yet the Commission’s document outlining its framework for mental health, Toward Recovery and Well Being, makes little reference to suicide prevention.

The feds also suggest that a suicide-prevention strategy is a matter for the provinces, since they have jurisdiction over health. Some provinces, including British Columbia, have produced strategies, yet there is still the need for coordination at the federal level.

Suicide is not merely a health issue. As the CMAJ article emphasizes, it concerns “ education, labour, justice, religion, law, politics and even the media,” and federal leadership is essential.

Halifax NDP MP Megan Leslie and Ontario NDP MP Carol Hughes earlier this month introduced a private member’s bill calling on the feds to create a national suicide-prevention strategy. They said that they would withdraw the bill if the feds mount a “ large-scale effort to tackle suicide.”

It’s doubtful the bill would frighten the feds into action, since private member’s bills are rarely successful. But the feds should not need to be frightened into action. The suffering of individuals and their families, and the cost to society, should be enough motivation.

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Read more :                  http://tinyurl.com/3xhst88

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NDP pressing for national suicide prevention plan
By Meagan Fitzpatrick, Postmedia News November 4, 2010

The NDP is set to introduce a private member’s bill in the House of Commons Friday ,Nov. 5th that would have the federal government establish a national plan to drive down the suicide rate.

Read the entire article at:http://tinyurl.com/3xa8fhx

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