Suicide Prevention Week

Published in examiner

 

According to the most recent statistics on suicide rates in Canada (2007), put out by The National Public Health Institute of Quebec, Quebec still holds the highest number of suicides in Canada and Montreal has the highest number of suicides for large cities in Canada.

 

In 2008, 1103 individuals ended their lives by suicide in the province of Quebec. The majority of these suicides were in rural areas of Quebec, where the employment levels were high and access to government programs inaccessible by many.  Julie Campbell, the president of The Quebec Association for Suicide Prevention says that one of the factors associated with not getting the help in rural areas is that many people do not have a car to get around.

 

It is much easier for people in Quebec City and Montreal to get access to the help they need as they are larger cities that are better equipped with employment programs and crisis intervention centers and have public transportation systems.  

 

This week is Quebec’s Suicide Prevention Week, which was first launched 20 years ago. The goal of suicide prevention week has always been to help the depressed as well as the loved ones of suicide victims. The good thing is that the suicide rate in Quebec has dropped by 32 percent in the last 10 years.

 

Dr. Brian Mishara  who is a psychology professor at the University of Quebec at Montreal and co-founder of the suicide prevention association, Suicide-Action Montreal, states that there are many reasons that could explain the drop in the suicide rate including overall higher employment rates and better access to support and suicide awareness programs.

 

Other experts are saying that the suicide prevention campaigns have had a large impact on the drop in suicide rate.  Twenty years ago there were only a handful of suicide prevention centers in Quebec, now there are 33 of them.

 

The suicide teen rate has dropped by 12 percent each year in the last 10 years.  However, men between the ages of 20 and 40 are the in the highest at risk group in the province. Sadly to say primary cause of death among men of this age group is suicide.

 

Nicholas Canuel  who is the spokesperson for the National prevention week,  maintains the reason the rate among men is so high as compared to woman is because women tend to talk about their problems whereas men leave it all bottled up inside. They do not seek out help. They are caught up in a culture where they must maintain a macho image.

 

The good news is that even the suicide rate for this high risk group is on the decline by about 4 percent per year.

 

The Quebec Association for Suicide Prevention runs a 24-hour help line
1-866-APPELLE (277-3553).

 

Sources:

 

Suicide Prevention Week Marks 20 Years

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100131/mtl_suicide_100131/20100201/?hub=MontrealHome

Quebec suicide rate slides

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/02/02/mtl-suicide-rates-0202.html