Weekly News Round Up May 31 – June 5
Hello Friends,
Every day we scan news headlines and social media for items of interest to the field of suicide prevention. Here’s what we found last week:
Anxiety disorders ‘need more research’, says global study – BBC
June 6, 2016
A global review done by the University of Cambridge has found that 4 out of 100 people were affected by anxiety disorder. Women were more than twice as likely to be affected than men, and North America had the highest rates of anxiety, with 8 out of 10 people affected. East Asia had the lowest; 3 out of 100.
Are opioids the next antidepressant? – New York Times
June 4, 2016
Though opioids are generally associated with drug addiction, they may be able to effectively treat depression, especially in people who are unresponsive to other medications.
‘This is our nightmarish reality’: Manitoba MLA talks about northern suicides – CBC
June 3, 2016
Liberal MLA Judy Klassen represents the Keewatinook Riding in northern Manitoba, where suicide attempts are a common occurrence. MLA Klassen believes it is extremely important to let members of the legislature as well as members of the public know about the tragedy of suicide in rural northern communities like hers.
Justin Trudeau to meet with Attawapiskat chief, First Nations youth in Ottawa June 13 – CBC
June 3, 2016
Prime Minister Trudeau accepted Chief Shisheesh’s invitation for a meeting regarding the suicide crisis in Attawapiskat. Trudeau is set to visit the community on June 13, where the two leaders will discuss possible solutions to the crisis. Trudeau will also meet with the youth of Attawapiskat.
Anxiety and stress increase among Edmonton youth, mental health panel told – Edmonton Journal
June 1, 2016
Youth leaders told Edmonton City Council that stress and anxiety levels are rising among youth in the community, and that there is still a stigma surrounding these mental health issues. The youth leaders also told council that young people often face barriers such as extremely long (6 months to a year) wait times for mental health treatment.
Indigenous leaders call for control of health care – CMAJ
May 31, 2016
The federal government has been called on by Indigenous leaders to reform their health care policy and delivery to Indigenous people and hand the control of services over to them. This call comes at the same time that Indigenous communities are facing extremely high suicide rates and other negative health indication factors.
The final workplace taboo: mental health – and why it’s time to take it seriously – Forbes
May 31, 2016
Mental health is everyone’s business, and there are several reasons why employers should pay attention.
Overcoming the shame of a suicide attempt – New York Times Well Blog
May 30, 2016
This blog post is a suicide attempt survivor’s open and honest account of how they overcame the shame that they felt after attempting suicide multiple times.