Weekly News Roundup Aug 26 – Sept 1, 2023

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Montreal blue-collar union says worker’s suicide came after harassment – CTV News
September 1, 2023
Marie-Hélène Henry, 47, a worker at Montreal’s Botanical Gardens, died by suicide in August. According to Henry’s friends, she was dealing with bullying at work. Friend Marie-Claude Piguet says, “Marie-Hélène’s father was in palliative care in the last stages of terminal cancer, and when her colleagues would catch her crying, they’d say, ‘Go cry elsewhere. We don’t want to see you cry’… I would qualify it as harassment, because it was happening on a daily basis. At first, it was unpleasant, then it became dangerous.” The union representing blue-collar workers in Montreal says that the city failed to ensure their employees were safe. Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said, “There is an inquiry, and whatever comes out, we will follow it because we want to assure our employees a safe and happy working environment.” Piguet says, “I would like to see real action, and not comments from the mayor telling us, ‘Please contact the resources available to you.’ She did. She did use those resources.” 

How to Talk to Kids About Suicide – Everyday Health
September 1, 2023
This article provides tips to caregivers on how to talk to children about suicide. According to Joanna Quigley, medical director of child and adolescent ambulatory psychiatry at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, done in an appropriate manner, conversations about suicide can help young people feel comfortable talking about their mental health and realize that it’s okay to ask for help. Some tips include talking about the concept of suicide before kids reach high school, normalizing conversation about other mental health topics, creating a safe space for conversation, and letting kids know that help is available. Avoiding ‘tough love’ talk that causes stigma is also important. Michael Lindsey, dean of the Silver School of Social Work at New York University says, “Tough love talk can reinforce stigma… Telling a boy to `man up’ or telling a girl to `keep things within the family’ can shut down important conversations before they even begin.”

The Psychology of Life: The Big Picture in Suicide Prevention – Psychology Today
August 31, 2023
In light of the release of stats showing the highest number of suicides in US history, clinical suicidologist David Jobes talks about what he sees as the ‘big picture issue’ in suicide prevention that needs more focus and attention. Jobes says that the biggest challenge in suicide prevention is the large number of people who suffer from thoughts of suicide. According to the American Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2022 annual survey, over 15 million American adults and adolescents thought about suicide seriously in the 30 days prior to the survey. Jobes says that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work for suicide prevention, and approaches that reduce suicidal behaviours and suicidal thoughts needs to be taken, not just one or the other. For example, one meta-analysis found that safety planning reduces suicide attempts but not thoughts of suicide, and interventions such as ‘collaborative assessment’ therapy reduce thoughts of suicide but not attempts. Jobes says, “In the daunting yet compelling field of clinical suicide prevention, we need everything we can bring to bear to change suicidal behaviors and suicidal ideation.”

‘Suicide Doesn’t Discriminate’ Films Share Powerful Stories Through Conversation – Branding in Asia
August 30, 2023
Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10, Australia’s Lifeline has released a new suicide prevention campaign featuring short videos bringing together two people from different worlds (e.g. a military veteran and an engineer) to discuss their lived experiences of feeling suicidal. “We’re proud to help more people learn and understand that you can come from any walk of life and still go through a crisis,” said Lisa Cheng, executive director, marketing and fundraising, Lifeline. “It’s important to bring these stories to the forefront so that other people who are struggling face no barriers in reaching out and getting the help they need.”

‘Despair is settling in’: female suicides on rise in Taliban’s Afghanistan – Guardian
August 28, 2023
Data collected from Afghanistan’s public hospitals and mental health clinics shows a increase in women attempting or dying by suicide since 2021, when the Taliban took control of the country and women’s rights were significantly restricted. The UN has linked the Taliban restrictions to the increase, which include a ban on education above elementary level, a prohibition on most work, and a ban from entering many public spaces such as parks and bathhouses. “Afghanistan is in the midst of a mental health crisis precipitated by a women’s rights crisis,” said Alison Davidian, the country representative for UN Women. “We are witnessing a moment where growing numbers of women and girls see death as preferable to living under the current circumstances.”