The day is hosted by three organizations:
- The International Association for Suicide Prevention
- The World Health Organization
- The World Federation for Mental Health.
We want to do our part to encourage prevention. That’s why we’re reaching out to you with resources that can help those in crisis.
Why the focus on suicide prevention
Each day, about 11 Canadians die by suicide – that’s more than 4,000 preventable deaths each year.1 It’s the second leading cause of death among young adults (ages 15 to 34). Men in particular are vulnerable, with suicide rates three times higher among men compared to women. This is because men use more lethal means than women.2
Suicide can be a sensitive topic to tackle. But the pandemic has brought mental health issues – and the issue of suicide – to the forefront. There’s a greater societal willingness to both discuss the topic and reach out to help others.
Listen to Darren’s & Jacob’s stories - they share their personal experiences of losing a loved one to suicide:
Coping with grief after losing a child to suicide
Fighting for change after losing a parent to suicide
*Please note the video speakers are English. For French subtitles you’ll need to have your browser set to French.
We recognize this is a difficult topic for you to navigate. That’s why we’re supporting you with resources that can help address suicide prevention in your workplace.
Resources for suicide prevention
There are several prevention resources that can help you and your employees recognize the signs of someone in distress.
- The Government of Canada has a comprehensive suicide prevention resource site. It outlines the warning signs, highlights where to get help, and provides tips for supporting others in crisis.
- The Association québécoise de prévention du suicide has information on prevention plus 24/7 phone support in French, whether you’re looking to help yourself or someone else.
- The Centre for Suicide Prevention runs the Buddy Up campaign that specifically addresses men and suicide. You can access their men and suicide toolkit.
You can play a role in supporting the mental health of employees and their families. And that includes support for suicide prevention. We encourage you to share the following communication with your employees. It contains links to the above resources and lets them know there’s help available for those having suicidal thoughts.
Need more help?
Our Mental Health Strategy Toolkit can guide you on how to build a strategy and support employee mental well-being.
1https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/suicide-canada-key-statistics-infographic.html
2https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/men-and-suicide-fact-sheet/
