Weekly News Roundup May 21 – 27, 2022

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Airdrie dads promoting men’s mental health by ‘Buddying Up’ – Discover Airdrie
May 26, 2022
Men between the ages of 40 and 65 die by suicide at alarming rates – the Buddy Up campaign, which is being highlighted by the Centre for Suicide Prevention (CSP) in June with Buddy Up Month, hopes to prevent these deaths. CSP’s External Relations Director Akash Asif says, “Men recognize there is an issue and want to be part of the solution. …Although guys may not be willing to ask for help for themselves, we are very willing to provide support for our buddies and keep them safe. So we decided to leverage this and in 2020, we launched Buddy Up to promote authentic conversations among men and their buddies.” Buddy Up Champion and member of Airdrie Dads Mike Principalli explains, “The big thing is listening and just being there to support them and make sure that they understand that it’s not unusual for what they’re going through. It’s about pointing them in the right direction of what resources are out there because I think there are a lot of good resources and it’s okay to ask for help on something like this.”

Central Alberta men encouraged to ‘Buddy up’ to prevent suicide – Red Deer Advocate
May 25, 2022
Buddy Up is a campaign to prevent men’s suicide. 600 Champions have already signed up to help promote authentic conversations and spread the message that men’s suicide is preventable throughout Buddy Up Month in June. “Although guys may not be willing to ask for help for themselves, they are willing to provide support for buddies and keep their buddies safe,” said Centre for Suicide Prevention’s External Relations Director Akash Asif. Everyone is being invited to participate in the Buddy Up June Challenge which encourages activities that connect people with friends.
 
Are TikTok Algorithms Changing How People Talk About Suicide? – Wired
May 27, 2022
The TikTok algorithm will remove or censor any content using the word ‘suicide’, and so, TikTok content creators are beginning to use different words to reference suicide, such as ‘unalive.’ #suicideprevention is a frequently used hashtag, but if #suicide or #suicideawareness are searched, TikTok directs users to local crisis line numbers. “I think it kind of makes a joke out of such a serious subject,” says TikTok content creator Kayla Williams says of the term ‘unalive.’ “It doesn’t sit right with me because we should be able to talk about the heavy stuff without being censored. I think as great as the word is at avoiding TikTok taking videos down, it means the word ‘suicide’ is still seen as taboo and a harsh subject to approach.” Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University says, “Coming up with alternate or roundabout ways to say things, in order to avoid saying them outright, sends a message that the meaning is unsayable. You could say that forbidding the word ‘suicide’ sends a meta-message that suicide is so terrible as to be unmentionable.”

‘It’s all preventable’: tackling America’s workplace suicide epidemic – Guardian
May 27, 2022
This article examines the workplace-related suicide deaths of Michael Odell, 27, a travel nurse, Evan Seyfried, 40, a Kroger employee, and physician Lorna Breen, 49.  Joshua Paredes, a friend of Odell, explains how he witnessed a decline in his mental health. Odell worked long hours, and was struggling to find a therapist after moving to a new city. “There were a lot of little gaps he fell into when he moved,” said Paredes. “I just wished that I would have listened more, or asked him if he was sleeping more, because he’s tired from work and if it was because he was depressed, or create another opportunity for him to reach out if he chose to do so.” In the US, workplace suicides are up 39% since 2000. Since Odell’s death, Paredes and other friends have started a non-profit, ‘Don’t Clock Out,’ to improve mental health treatment and research in the nursing industry. “Nurses are exhausted,” said Paredes. “With this project we’re going to be able to provide a lot more free therapy that’s not associated with an employer or an insurer, because I think a lot of nurses don’t want to reach out for help that is going to be tied to an employer and insurer.” Dr. Jessica Gold, assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement and outreach at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri said, “Workplaces can be triggers and workplaces can compound existing mental health conditions, or could cause new ones.”

More Nova Scotians died by suicide in 2021 than ever before: province  – Global News
May 26, 2022
In Nova Scotia, in 2021, 142 people died by suicide, up from 121 in 2020. This is the highest number on record for the province. In 2020, the province introduced a suicide prevention framework, but psychologist Simon Sherry says it needs more detail and commitments. The province will be using survey data to inform next steps. Brian Comer, the minister for the Office of Mental Health and Addictions, says,“It’s a significant issue. I think we have made some notable progress in the last number of years with the suicide prevention framework, but obviously when you see numbers like that, we definitely have more work that needs to be done, for sure.”

Guns in the Home Raise Suicide Risks for Teens – US News
May 26, 2022
New research shows that, in the US, young people who have access to guns have a heightened risk of suicide and suicide attempts.  “Universal mental health screening of adolescents is particularly important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to both increased firearm availability and worsening indicators of youth mental health,” said lead study author Dr. Samaa Kemal. “Proper screening for both suicidality and firearm access can create the opportunity to offer effective firearm safety counseling, such as keeping all firearms locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition, as well as linkage to mental health resources. We must do everything possible to prevent tragic deaths among teens who are struggling.”

Moms search for solutions after daughters die by suicide – ABC News
May 24, 2022
In 2021, suicide attempts among adolescent girls in the US rose by 50%. In this article, the mothers of two young women who died by suicide, Eva Binger and Liv Kunik, 19, share their experiences with grief and the events leading up to their daughters’ deaths. “You think they’re doing fine because they’re very quiet about it and they don’t share. I think maybe they don’t even know what they’re going through, and parents have so much shame. What I hear is, ‘I knew my son or daughter so well, how could I have not seen this?’ It’s the worst grief,” says Kunik’s mother Honey Beuf. The experience of Hannah, 14, who struggled with her mental health and thoughts of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic says she became a “hermit”: “I think that definitely was negative,” she said. “I had my phone and we did a lot of FaceTiming and texts, so I wasn’t completely cut off from my friends, but it was definitely different from face-to-face contact and seeing each other and socializing every day.” Hannah was able to find help after her mother asked her directly if she was thinking about suicide. Caroline Long, Binger’s mother, says, “If I could go back, that’s what I would do over. I think all parents should ask their children, ‘Have you ever contemplated suicide? Have you ever attempted suicide?’ You have to keep at it with your children, keep asking those questions, keep that conversation open.”

Firearm suicides are rising in the US despite declining globally – New Scientist
May 25, 2022
New research has found that rates of suicide using firearms have declined worldwide over the past 30 years but in the US, while rates are lower than in 1990, they have been increasing since 2006. Paul Nestadt at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland says that this global decline is probably connected to increased firearm restrictions. “There have been a variety of countries recognising the role of guns in suicide, and that is likely contributing to decreasing rates,” says Nestadt.

After Suicide Attempt, Young Females at Higher Risk for Substance Use – Everyday Health
May 21, 2022
**Method warning** A new study has found that young women and girls are more five times more likely to be hospitalized for substance use disorder if they also had a history of attempted suicide. This likelihood increased along with the number of suicide attempts experienced. “The findings underscore the importance of screening youths for mental health conditions and suicidality,” study authors write. “Adolescents who are admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt frequently undergo emotional and psychosocial assessments, but few receive further psychotherapy after discharge.”

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