Weekly News Roundup Feb. 24 – Mar. 1, 2024

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Clearing the air reduces suicide rates – The Current
February 29, 2024
A new study has found a link between air pollution and suicide rates. Researchers say that environmental factors play a role not only in physical health but also in mental health. They posit that China’s efforts to reduce air pollution have prevented 46,000 suicide deaths. Study co-lead author Tamma Carleton says, “We often think about suicide and mental health as a problem to be understood and solved at an individual level. This result points to the important role of public policy, of environmental policy, in mitigating mental health and suicide crises outside of individual-level intervention.” They acknowledge that it was difficult to isolate the role of pollution on suicide rates.

New resource launches in Sask. for people grieving from suicide loss – Regina Leader-Post
February 28, 2024
Two years ago, families who have lost loved ones to suicide in Saskatchewan called for the provincial government to do more to help prevent suicide. The government of Saskatchewan has announced that free, rapid access counselling services over the phone, virtually, and in-person (in some locations) is being made available to friends and family who have lost someone to suicide or have had a loved one severely injured in a suicide attempt. Saskatchewan’s Mental Health and Addictions Minister Tim McLeod says, “Any loss due to suicide is a tragedy, we’re certainly working hard through our provincial strategy. It’s been identified that losing someone to suicide actually increases one’s risk of suicide themselves, so this is actually part of our overall suicide prevention strategy.” The launch of this new service is part of new $200,000 annual funding to Family Service Saskatchewan to create and deliver a provincial suicide loss support program.  

Alberta doctor says province’s new policies contributed to suicide of transgender nephew. – CityNews
February 27, 2024
Dr. David Keegan, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary lost his trans nephew to suicide earlier this month. Now Keegan and other family members are asking to meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to discuss her recently proposed transgender policies. The policies, if passed, would include: requiring parental consent for students under 15 to choose their name and pronouns and notifying parents of students over 15 if they’ve changed their name and pronouns, as well as having parents opt-in (instead of opt-out) of any education about sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Keegan says, “Every single person in Alberta deserves to live. Every single person in Alberta deserves to be here. Every single person deserves their medical conversations to be with their physicians and to be private and to be without the intrusion of politics.”

My dad died by suicide when I was 18. At 40, the trauma led me to a career in coaching. – Business Insider
February 25, 2024
Lynda Williams lost her father to suicide when she was 18. Now, at 42, Williams has become a life coach with the goal of empowering others on their journeys. She explains, “I went through my own therapy and grief-processing methods. I… explored different types of wellness… Studying grief and suicide allowed me to connect with others who had experienced loss, and to contribute to the conversation surrounding mental health from a young age. I naturally started to share my stories and informally coach my peers, my team, and my friends — it wasn’t paid, nor was I qualified in coaching at this stage. I realized that my journey held the potential to inspire and guide others facing their own challenges. And as my ‘Why’ story was becoming more evident and unfolding, I knew I had to help individuals on a deeper and more meaningful level. So I got my coaching qualifications… ”

Senior suicide: the silent generation speaking up on a quiet killer – The Guardian
February 25, 2024
In Australia, and many countries around the world, people ages 70 and older have the highest suicide rates. Men also die by suicide more often than women. Older men may face a loss of purpose and identity following retirement and they may have weaker social connections to children and grandchildren and social networks in general. Rod McKay, a psychiatrist focusing on older patients, says, “There are a lot of social factors that can be addressed, sometimes there are simple medical factors that can be addressed that can make a huge difference in whether someone sees suicide as an option or not.” The global Men’s Sheds movement aims to connect men with each other through activities.Garrick Hooper, 73, started participating in Men’s Sheds three years ago when he retired. He says, “I always knew about it and I thought: ‘I’ll be avoiding that like the plague, I’m meaningfully employed.’ And then there comes a time that you’re not and you become officially elderly. When you retire, you’ve got to redefine yourself, and that’s just how it is.”

Manitoba’s child advocate calls for action on youth suicide before it’s too late – Winnipeg Sun
February 24, 2024
Sherry Gott, Manitoba’s Advocate for Children and Youth, believes that her office’s recommendations to the provincial government, released in December 2023, are not being acted upon quickly enough. She says that mental health issues in children and youth became worse during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and that lasting harms have remained. Gott says, “There was so much isolation, and those who relied on outside family and their schools and support systems all of a sudden didn’t have those supports and those relationships. And we are still in the process now of rebuilding those relationships, because it’s not like the lockdowns ended and everyone just went back to normal.” Indigenous children are dying by suicide far more often, which is also an issue that needs to be addressed.