Weekly News Roundup July 25 – August 1, 2016
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:
This is what happened when I set up my own suicide crisis centre – Independent
July 28, 2016
The manager of a distress centre in Gloucestershire, England, has achieved zero suicide – meaning no clients have ever died by suicide. This was accomplished, according to the manager, by meeting people where they were at – literally going to people’s homes and giving them one-on-one attention. The manager notes that they have many male clients in particular, and this is attributed to the fact that they give men control in their support options, and their visits remain confidential.
Inuit-led suicide prevention strategy to focus on mental wellness, social equity – CBC
July 27, 2016
Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami has revealed an Inuit suicide prevention strategy, developed in partnership with Health Canada. The strategy is meant to address the high rates of suicide among the Inuit – for example, earlier this year, over a period of 3 months, 5 youth killed themselves in a small Inuit community of only 2,500. There are 6 key areas of focus highlighted in the strategy:
– Creating social equity
– Creating cultural continuity
– Nurturing healthy Inuit children from birth
– Access to mental wellness services
– Healing unresolved trauma and grief
– Mobilizing Inuit knowledge for resilience and suicide prevention
Trudeau government lends hand to Inuit suicide prevention – Globe and Mail
July 27, 2016
The Federal Government will put $9 million of funding towards the newly released Inuit suicide prevention plan, developed by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami in partnership with Health Canada. Health Minister Jane Philpott said, “Restoring our relationship with Inuit – based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership – is key to our goal of improving health and mental wellness.”
Black boys, suicide and shame: what can the village do? – BlackDoctor.org
July 27, 2016
African Americans in the US have a suicide rate of 8 per 100,000 which is below the national average of 12.93 per 100,000. However, "black boys (5-11) account for over 82% of these deaths by suicide and their overall rate is on the rise.” This is perhaps due to “the pressures of navigating prejudice, stereotypes of hyper-masculinity… and the daily stressors and traumas that arise from living in violent and impoverished communities,” which are factors that both drive resilience and place a person at risk for mental health concerns.
Edmonton suicide-prevention strategy in the works – CBC
July 25, 2016
The Suicide Prevention Advisory Committee of Edmonton will bring their recommendations to City Council in September. The High Level Bridge in Edmonton has brought suicide prevention to the attention of many Edmontonians, as the bridge is a suicide hot spot. Now, the bridge has barriers to deter people from dying by suicide, as well as phones that dial direct to crisis lines – which have been used 44 times in the past year. Kris Andreychuk who is on the advisory committee, says the barriers are just “the beginning for a city (that) is willing to name (suicide) for what it is: an epidemic.”
Mental-health issues often well hidden – Toronto Star
July 25, 2016
This article suggests taking the time to tune-in to how other people are feeling, as this is one way in which we can identify mental health concerns as often they aren’t immediately apparent. People who appear happy may be hiding mental health issues, and we can reach out and help them by forgetting our own issues for awhile and “checking in” – actively listening, really paying attention to that person and being there for them, and connecting them to further support when needed.