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:

Featured:
World Suicide Prevention Day 2021Centre for Suicide Prevention
September 7, 2021
World Suicide Prevention Day is this Friday, September 10. This is a day to remember those we’ve lost to suicide and raise awareness about how suicide can be prevented. We can all play a role in the prevention of suicide. Learn how with our blog, ‘How to help someone thinking about suicide,’ done in collaboration with Canadian Mental Health Association National. Throughout the month we’re hosting free workshops and our virtual Run for Life takes place Sept. 19-26. We’ll also be releasing our 40th anniversary annual report.

How to help someone thinking about suicideCentre for Suicide Prevention and Canadian Mental Health Association
September 7, 2021
When we reach out to someone considering suicide we can help them see that there is a way out of their pain. We can help them see that, people do care, that their life does matter, they’re not alone and help is available. Even if that’s not what they believe when they’re in crisis. This article will explain how to: identify a person thinking about suicide; reach out and have a conversation; connect them to help; create a safety plan with them; and support them as they move forward.


Nunavut electors rank housing, suicide prevention as top prioritiesAPTN
September 2, 2021
Inuit Tapariit Kanatami (ITK), the Inuit organization that represents Inuit all over Canada, has highlighted suicide prevention as one of their top priorities in the upcoming federal election. When asked about what they thought about the priorities outlined by ITK, Iqaluit residents Lilly Parr and Wendy Tiglik agreed: “Inuit led suicide prevention strategy is very important, because it’s led by Inuit, for Inuit, because we know ourselves the best,” said Parr. Tiglik agreed, “Besides housing, suicide prevention should be number one.”

Grieving B.C. mom wants ‘sinister’ online suicide forum shut down after son’s deathCTV news
September 2, 2021
Isabella lost her son Jaden, 21, to suicide, and later found out that he had been coached to take his own life on a suicide forum online. She says, “When COVID(-19) hit, he started to express some anxiety. In December, it got quite bad. I was concerned about him.” Jaden went to a doctor and declined medication, but Isabella says there were improvements in his mood in the months leading up to his death. One day he said he was going to a friend’s house and never came back home. Isabella contacted the RCMP to see what could be done about limiting access to the forum so that others wouldn’t have the same experience her son, but was told there was nothing they could do since the forum was hosted on a website outside of Canada, however, other countries have taken action to block such forums.

Why we should make suicide a construction site safety issueGlobal Construction Review
September 2, 2021
The construction industry has one of the highest rates of male suicide in the US. This article explores what is being done in the industry to prevent suicide, including the work being done by company Balfour Beatty, who launched a global suicide awareness campaign among their workers. Non-profit organization Construction Progress Coalition is also raising awareness for mental health in the industry. The author of this article, Sasha Reed, director of industry advancement at Procore.org, says that, “With the strains of the pandemic and an unprecedented labor shortage, leaders must consider and continue to pursue a people-first approach to their company culture in order to make construction more sustainable. Ultimately, we have the opportunity to improve the quality of life for the people who build the places we learn, heal, work and live. And in the process, we can transform the image of construction.”
Learn more about workplace suicide prevention.

Lil Nas X Named Suicide Prevention Advocate Of The YearForbes
September 1, 2021
The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention organization for 2SLGBTQ+ people, named multiple Grammy award-winner Lil Nas X as their first Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year.  Lil Nas X has been open about his struggles with his sexuality and suicide ideation, and is a mental health advocate who celebrates his sexual identity. “Thank you so much to The Trevor Project for this award and for all they do for the LGBTQ community,” said Lil Nas X in the statement. “Discrimination around sexuality and gender identity is still very real, and our community deserves to feel supported and totally free to be themselves. I often get messages from fans telling me about their struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, and it made me realize that this was something bigger than myself. If using my voice and expressing myself in my music can help even one kid out there who feels alone, then it was all worth it.”

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