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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 […]
Notes from the field: Recent changes in suicide rates, by race and ethnicity and age group United States, 2021
Suicide is a serious public health problem in the United States. After 2 consecutive years of declines in suicide (47,511 in 2019 and 45,979 in 2020), 2021 data indicate an increase in suicide to 48,183, nearly returning to the 2018 peak (48,344) with an age-adjusted rate of 14.1 suicides per 100,000 population (versus 14.2 in […]
Self-harm & suicide: Examining the societal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 response measures have increased social isolation and stress and made it harder to get mental health care. These factors may exacerbate existing mental illness and contribute to heightened risk of self-harm and suicide. • Self-harm occurs most frequently among young females and non-binary individuals, while the suicide rate is highest among middle-aged males. Populations […]
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 […]
The impact of COVID-19 on rural and remote mental health and substance use
This policy brief provides an overview of the developing issues and unique mental health and substance use challenges that COVID-19 poses for rural and remote communities. It builds on a preliminary scan the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) completed at the outset of the pandemic and on an evidence brief on best and promising practices written just before […]
National guidelines for child and youth behavioral health crisis care
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline transitioned to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in July 2022. This free, confidential system provides 24/7/365 behavioral health crisis response through text, chat, and voice calls. Congress increased its appropriation for the crisis center service to address rising rates of behavioral health crises across America. This transition represents an […]
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 […]
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 […]
Preventing suicide: A toolkit for high schools
Preventing suicide: A toolkit for high schools’ was funded … to help high schools, school districts, and their partners design and implement strategies to prevent suicide and promote behavioral health among their students. This information and tools in this toolkit will help schools and their partners: Assess their ability to prevent suicide among students and […]
Live life: An implementation guide for suicide prevention in countries. Executive Summary
Over 700 000 people lose their life to suicide every year. Reducing the global suicide mortality rate by one third by 2030 is both an indicator and a target (the only one for mental health) in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030. WHO’s 13th General […]
Notes from the field: Increases in firearm homicide and suicide rates United States, 2020–2021
The firearm homicide rate in the United States increased nearly 35% from 2019 to 2020, coinciding with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic (1). This increase affected all ages and most population groups, but not equally: existing disparities, including racial and ethnic disparities, widened. The firearm suicide rate was higher than the firearm homicide rate […]
Examining variations in immigrants’ lower risk of suicide-related behaviours
Using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) and the Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC), this article provides an understanding of suicide-related behaviours, namely suicide ideation and completed suicides, among immigrants. Overall, immigrants aged 15 years and older were less likely than their Canadian-born counterparts to report having had suicidal thoughts and […]
National suicide prevention strategy
The Government has long been committed to promoting health and well-being for all. ‘Mental Health Policy 2014’ and ‘Mental Healthcare Act 2017’ provide the much-needed policy and legal framework to fortify efforts to promote mental well-being of the population. These documents have also addressed suicide as a public health issue. They have been instrumental in […]
‘Nuggets of gold’: Insights from voices of lived experience
This report summarises the outcomes of a scoping project exploring the possibility of gathering and sharing ‘nuggets of gold’ – that is, stories from those with lived experience of suicide attempt. The ‘nuggets of gold’ project came about after members of the Suicide Mortality Review Committee identified a gap in knowledge in Aotearoa New Zealand […]
National guidelines for child and youth behavioral health crisis care
The National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care offers best practices, implementation strategies, and practical guidance for the design and development of services that meet the needs of children, youth, and their families experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Additional technical guidance is provided in a companion report produced by SAMHSA in conjunction with the […]
ACT for mental health federal plan for universal mental health & substance use health: Background paper
Under the Canada Health Act, mental health care is only covered by public health insurance when it is provided by physicians and/or in hospitals, Millions of Canadians don’t have a family doctor2 and can wait months, or more, to see a psychiatrist. Family doctors face challenges in caring for patients with mental health concerns, and publicly […]
Policy brief: COVID-19 and the need for action on mental health
Although the COVID-19 crisis is, in the first instance, a physical health crisis, it has the seeds of a major mental health crisis as well, if action is not taken. Good mental health is critical to the functioning of society at the best of times. It must be front and centre of every country’s response […]
The Surgeon General’s call to action to implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
A Report of the U.S. Surgeon General and of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (Call to Action) seeks to advance progress toward full implementation of the National Strategy, while taking into account the unique challenges and opportunities of our […]
Final report of the expert panel on MAID and mental illness
On March 17, 2021, Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) received Royal Assent and came into force. This Bill amended Canada’s original 2016 MAiD legislation, Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying). The effect of Bill C-7 […]
Medical assistance in dying and mental disorder as the sole underlying condition: An interim report. Report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying
The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (the Committee) was re-created in March 2022 and tasked with reviewing “the provisions of the Criminal Code relating to medical assistance in dying and their application, including but not limited to issues relating to mature minors, advance requests, mental illness, the state of palliative care in […]
Suicide prevention resource for action: A compilation of the best available evidence
The Suicide Prevention Resource for Action maintains the features of the 2017 Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices. It lays out a core set of strategies to achieve and sustain substantial reductions in a specific risk factor or outcome, such as suicide.4 This resource is intended to help communities and states […]
Provisional numbers and rates of suicide by month and demographic characteristics: United States, 2021
Objectives—This report presents provisional numbers of deaths due to suicide by month and demographic characteristics (age and sex) for 2021 and compares them with final numbers for 2020. Age-adjusted and age-specific suicide rates are presented by sex and compared with final 2020 rates. Methods—Data are based on 99% of all 2021 death records received and […]
Circumstances surrounding fire-related suicides, 2011 to 2020
Fatal fires are tragic events that are devastating to individuals, families, and communities. From 2011 to 2020, there were on average 220 fire-related deaths in Canada each year. While the majority of fire-related deaths were classified as unintentional, 1 in 6 were classified as intentional (i.e., suicide or homicide). Unlike unintentional fire-related deaths, intentional fire-related deaths result from an individual creating fire with intent […]
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