Weekly News Roundup October 21-27, 2023

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Protests erupted over LGBTQ content in N.L. schools. So what’s actually happening in the classroom? – CBC
October 23, 2023
Protests over school curriculum relating to sexual orientation and gender have been happening across Canada. Recently, protests took place in Newfoundland and Labrador. Vanessa McAuley works with schools to ensure they’re following safe and inclusive school policies, which are intended to create safe spaces for students. McAuley says, “We are looking at accepting people for the relationships they choose to have, their identity, who they are. And they should have a safe environment to do that.” According to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, sexual and gender minority youth are more likely to consider and attempt suicide than heterosexual and cisgender people. One of the issues at the centre of protests is the right of students to choose their name and pronouns at school without parental consent. Newfoundland and Labrador does not require parental consent after grade 7 for a student to choose their name and pronouns. McAuley explains, “We want parents as partners and we always encourage students to involve their parents in these conversations. But when the safety of the student is in question, then we have to put the needs of the student … at the centre.”

How to support loved ones grieving a loss from suicide – CBS News
October 25, 2023
Grieving a death by suicide can be especially difficult, and this article introduces ways that people can support those they know who are grieving a suicide loss. Dr. Michael Groat, director of psychology at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut says that simply acknowledging the impact of the loss can be helpful, “Losing someone suddenly to suicide is devastating. People are left reeling and are overwhelmed,” he said. Dr. Tia Dole, chief 988 lifeline officer at Vibrant Emotional Health suggests asking the person what they need. Dole says, “There is no one way to support someone grieving a suicide loss. Some people will want space, while others want to be checked on quite a bit.” Groat also suggests being proactive in helping the person, and not waiting for them to ask for help, “Bring a freshly prepared meal, offer to watch pets or anything that might relieve burdens or pressures. By not putting pressure on someone to identify things for you to do, you also relieve the person of that stress. If you have a good hunch that something will be helpful, just do it.”

Study explores risk factors for suicide in farmers – University of Alberta
October 24, 2023
A new comprehensive review by the University of Alberta is the first of its kind, combining and analyzing interview data from 14 studies on farmers and suicide. “We wanted to get a better understanding of the life circumstances the farmer experienced that led them to die by suicide,” says lead researcher Rebecca Purc-Stephenson. “Farming is a lifestyle, not just a job, which makes farm culture unique. It’s important to understand the particularities around this group.” The review found seven specific factors linked to suicide and two especially dominant ones: maintaining the farmer identity and experiencing significant financial crisis. Purc-Stephenson said that many farmers died by suicide, “couldn’t imagine themselves in any other role, and combined with a money crisis, they just didn’t see a way out.”

Following a tragic death, new questions raised about suicide barriers – Global News
October 24, 2023
**Method warning** Suicide prevention advocates and members of the public are renewing calls for suicide barriers to be installed on a bridge in BC. “A lot of old bridges, it’s difficult to install fencing, for example, secure high fencing. We have been able to do it on some… but sometimes there’s an engineering challenge where wind loading or other considerations affect the performance of the bridge, and it’s simply not possible,” says BC Transportation Minister Rob Fleming. Delta police chief Neil Dubord  says, “We strongly believe that there should be an option for (this bridge)… We do believe that suicide barriers are a way for us to help eliminate those kinds of crisis situations. And it just makes a person start to think a little bit more and hopefully, you know, we can have an intervention at that time and change someone’s mind around their suicidal thoughts.”