MYTHS ABOUT SUICIDE
Suicide is something that has affected us all in one way or another. We may know people who have been impacted by suicide or know someone who has died by suicide. Suicide can be difficult to talk about but that does not mean we should avoid the topic. It is a global health issue and it isn’t isolated to a single community, culture, or country. According to statistics Canada 4157 Canadian died by suicide in 2017. In a recent news release by The World Health Organization (WHO), it was stated that one person dies every 40 seconds from suicide. Based on this staggering statistic, WHO is launching the “40 Seconds of Action” initiative in an effort to increase awareness of the significance of suicide as a global public health problem. This will coincide with World Mental Health Day, which takes place on Oct 10, 2019. You can find out more information about it here: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2019/10/10/default-calendar/world-mental-health-day-2019-focus-on-suicide-prevention
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation and ill-informed perceptions about suicide that can prevent people from reaching out for support. In an effort to provide more knowledge and awareness around the topic of suicide here are some common myths and facts about suicide.
1. Talking about suicide will encourage someone to follow through with it.
The stigma around mental health and suicide can make it difficult for people to talk about it, whether they have suicidal ideations themselves or if they know someone who is contemplating suicide. Many people worry that if they talk about suicide they may “plant” the idea in someone’s head or condone them following through with their urges. This could not be further from the truth. Starting a conversation about suicide will often reduce the risk that they may attempt. Framing the conversation around recovery, hope, and treatment can provide the individual with some ideas around how to seek help, rethink their options, and to share their story with others. Being trained in how to safety plan can be a valuable skill to learn, especially if you are in a position where you are interacting with members of the community who may be vulnerable. Here are some resources in Toronto where you can access training if this is something you may be interested in.
https://toronto.cmha.ca/asist-applied-suicide-intervention-skills-training/
2. Only people with diagnosed mental health disorders can be suicidal.
Anyone can experience suicidal ideation, not just individuals who have diagnosed mental health disorders. Suicide is indicative of feelings of deep unhappiness, and many people have contemplated suicide during periods of high distress or conflict. It is also important to note that not everyone who has a diagnosed mental health disorder is suicidal. This can be one of the symptoms but it is not always the case. It is important that we do not assume either way, and do our best to allow for open conversations.
3. People who attempt suicide are just looking for attention.
Suicide must be taken seriously. Always. There is no other way to look at it. To dismiss a suicide attempt as attention seeking is not only dangerous, it is irresponsible and minimizing the issue. The attempt may be a signal for help. Many times people will make an attempt because they feel like they are no longer worth any attention. Whatever the underlying cause may be, it is imperative that we treat every suicide attempt with the care and support.
4. Once a person attempts suicide, they will not attempt again.
Individuals who have made an attempt in the past are actually at a higher risk for future attempts. A person’s risk of dying by suicide increases if they have had past attempts. Sometimes people will assume that after an attempt a person will get the help they need and will no longer be at risk, however this is not the case for many reasons. There are often instances where an individual will make an attempt unbeknownst to those around them, other times they are unfortunately dismissed as attention seeking, or they may not have been able to access the necessary resources they needed for support at the times. Whatever the case may be. It is important to do our best to connect those who have attempted suicide to the mental health supports they need.
If you are in crisis now please call any of the crisis line numbers listed below or dial the local emergency telephone number (often 911) in your area.
You can also call if you are not in crisis, but seeking additional information the numbers below. If you come across information in this page which is incorrect, please contact us so we can update it.
Ontario Association of Distress Centres
Website has lists of Ontario distress centres
http://www.dcontario.org/centres.html
Ontario Suicide Prevention Network
Website has lists of Ontario crisis centres.
http://www.ontariosuicidepreventionnetwork.ca
LGBTQ Youth Line 1-800-268-9688
Kids Help Phone – kidshelpphone.ca or phone 1-800-668-6860
Connex – 1-866-531-2600
