Self-perceived mental health and mental health care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

Throughout the pandemic, various public health measures have been implemented across the country, impacting employment, schooling, family relationships and leisure. For some individuals, these measures, in  combination with fears associated with the risks stemming from COVID-19, have contributed to feelings of greater stress, anxiety and loneliness, which in turn, may have an impact on overall […]

Rural perspectives on suicide prevention in Canada

Rural residence has been identified as a risk factor for suicide, especially for men. Little qualitative research exists on rural suicide, which might help deepen understandings of prevention strategies within rural places. Therefore, virtual focus groups  were held across six Canadian provinces to give voice to rural community members and service workers about suicide prevention. […]

Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit

Drawing on treaties, international law, the work of other Indigenous scholars, and especially personal experiences, Marie Battiste documents the nature of Eurocentric models of education, and their devastating impacts on Indigenous knowledge. Chronicling the negative consequences of forced assimilation, racism inherent to colonial systems of education, and the failure of current educational policies for Aboriginal […]

Suicidality in rural communities: A scoping review of research in Canada

A scoping review of research about suicidality in rural and remote Canadian communities, published between 2009 and July 2020 was conducted by searching Embase, Medline, CINAHL, PsychInfo, SocIndex, Geobase, and PsycArticles databases. Included articles were reviewed and charted using data extraction. Thirty-nine Canadian, non-Indigenous articles met inclusion. Most publications were based on quantitative research (23). […]

Death by suicide among Canadian medical students: A national survey-based study

Objective: To estimate a rate of death by suicide in the Canadian medical student population and examine the prevalence of institutional response policies for suicide. Methods: A survey was sent to all 17 Canadian medical undergraduate programs (MDUPs) to collect information on deaths by suicide over the past 10 years. In the case of a reported suicide, […]

CMA National Physician Health Survey: A national snapshot

How many physicians report burnout or screen positive for depression? The 2018 report on the CMA National Physician Health Survey provides valuable baseline data on a range of wellness indicators for physicians and residents in Canada, providing breakdowns by gender, years of practice, and urban/rural.

Fifth Independent Review Committee on non-natural deaths in custody: April 1st, 2017 to March 31st, 2019

There is a significant history surrounding non-natural deaths in Correctional Service Canada (CSC) institutions and CSC’s responses to the recommendations of investigations into the circumstances of these deaths. The Correctional Investigator in his 2005-06 Annual Report raised concerns regarding the timely completion of meaningful investigation reports and action plans developed by CSC to address the […]

Demographic and clinical presentations of youth using enhanced mental health services in six Indigenous communities form the ACCESS Open Minds Network

Objective In many Indigenous communities, youth mental health services are inadequate. Six Indigenous communities participating in the ACCESS Open Minds (AOM) network implemented strategies to transform their youth mental health services. This report documents the demographic and clinical presentations of youth accessing AOM services at these Indigenous sites. Methods Four First Nations and two Inuit […]

Measuring substance-related disorders using Canadian administrative health databanks: Interprovincial comparisons of recorded diagnostic rates, incidence proportions and mortality rate ratios

Objective To report the annual and cumulative recorded diagnostic rates and incidence proportions of SRD, as well as mortality rate ratios (MRRs) by cause of death among this group in Canada, according to their province of residence. Methods Analyses were performed on linked administrative health databases (AHD; physician claims, hospitalizations, and vital statistics) in five […]

Development and evaluation of culturally adapted CBT to improve community mental health services for Canadians of South Asian origin: Final report 2023

People of South Asian descent living in Canada are impacted by various social determinants of health that can negatively influence their mental health and may decrease their access to care. South Asians in Canada with major  depression are also 85 per cent less likely to seek treatment than other Canadians who experience the same illness.5 […]

Medical assistance in dying in Canada: Choices for Canadians (Report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying)

Access for MAID MD-SUMC was to be permitted as of March 2023. Applying for MAID MD-SUMC would also be under track two. As mentioned above, the committee released an interim report on mental disorder in June 2022 that discusses issues related to MAID MD-SUMC. The committee heard concerns that more time was needed to make […]

Suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts among new Royal Canadian Mounted Police cadets

Background Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) report diverse occupational stressors and repeated exposures to potentially psychologically traumatic events, which may increase the odds of screening positive for a mental disorder, and increase the risk of death by suicide. The current study was designed to provide prevalence information regarding suicidal behaviours (i.e., ideation, planning, attempts) and […]

Daily changes in ambient air pollution concentrations and temperature and suicide mortality in Canada: Findings from a national time-stratified case-crossover study

Introduction Worldwide, approximately 1900 people die by suicide daily. Daily elevations in air pollution and temperature have previously been linked to a higher risk of death from suicide. To date, there have been relatively few studies of air pollution and suicide, particularly at a national level. National analyses play an important role in shaping health […]

Mortality among First Nations people, 2006 to 2016

Background First Nations people were reported to have a shorter life expectancy and were more likely than their non-Indigenous counterparts to die prematurely from avoidable causes. Methods Using the 2006 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC), the number and rates of deaths for a 10-year follow-up period for on- and off reserve First Nations […]

Rural and remote mental health in Canada: Evidence brief on best and promising practices

Rural and remote communities in Canada face unique challenges in providing access to quality mental health services. People in these communities must often travel great distances to get the help they need. Where services do exist, they are frequently stretched thin, with long wait lists, high turnover rates, and poor communications infrastructures (despite the increased […]

Media coverage of Canadian Veterans, with a focus on post traumatic stress disorder and suicide

Background A large corpus of research indicates that the media plays a key role in shaping public beliefs, opinions and attitudes towards social groups. Some research from the United States indicates that military Veterans are sometimes framed in a stereotypical and stigmatizing manner, however there is a lack of research on Canadian media coverage of […]

Life course well-being framework for suicide prevention in Canadian Armed Forces Veterans

Introduction: The risks of suicidality (suicidal ideation or behaviour) are higher in Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Veterans (former members) than in the Canadian general population (CGP). Suicide prevention is everyone’s responsibility, but it can be difficult for many to see how they can help. This article proposes an evidence-based theoretical framework for discussing suicide prevention. The […]

Veteran suicide mortality in Canada from 1976 to 2012

Introduction: Suicide prevention for Veterans is a public health priority. However, it has been challenging to study suicide in Canadian Veterans post-release from the military. Th e Veteran Suicide Mortality Study (VSMS)  has assembled data on the risk of death by suicide for Canadian Veterans compared to other Canadians. Methods: This was a record linkage […]

Working together to prevent suicide in Canada: The federal framework for suicide prevention 2022 progress report

This Progress Report provides an opportunity to share federal priorities and initiatives underway for suicide prevention. Over the last two years, we have embarked on key transformative initiatives, including the development and investment of 988, a three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis number for Canada. The Government of Canada is currently working to ensure that this […]

Increased alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking, and suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

Objective Alcohol use is a known risk factor for suicidality, yet this relationship has not been explored during the pandemic in Canada. As a growing body of evidence demonstrates the negative impact of COVID-19 on alcohol consumption and associated harms in Canada, there is a need to examine this more closely. Methods Using the Survey […]

Canadian news media coverage of suicide during the COVID‑19 pandemic

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic led to concerns about increases in suicidal behaviour. Research indicates that certain types of media coverage of suicide may help reduce suicidality (the Papageno effect), while other types may increase suicidality (the Werther effect). This study aimed to examine the tone and content of Canadian news articles about suicide during the […]

Association of weekly suicide rates with temperature anomalies in two different climate types

Annual suicide deaths outnumber the total deaths from homicide and war combined. Suicide is a complex behavioral endpoint, and a simple cause-and-effect model seems highly unlikely, but relationships with weather could yield important insight into the biopsychosocial mechanisms involved in suicide deaths. This study has been designed to test for a relationship between air temperature […]

Pandemic-related impacts and suicidal ideation among adults in Canada: A population-based cross-sectional study

Introduction: Recent evidence has suggested that there has been an increase in suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objectives were to estimate the likelihood of suicidal ideation among adults in Canada who experienced pandemic-related impacts and to determine if this likelihood changed during the pandemic. Methods: We analyzed pooled data for 18 936 adults 18 years or […]