Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world.
Approximately one million people worldwide die by suicide each year, one death every 40 seconds. The number of lives lost each year
through suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined.
Closer to home, according to the B.C. Coroner, between 1998 and 2008 on Vancouver Island a minimum of 1,109 people died by suicide.
Asking someone and talking about suicide can feel scary. Breaking the silence however sends a powerful message to someone that it is OK to talk about what they are feeling and thinking, that they are not alone, and that you care.
When someone is feeling suicidal, it is often less about wanting to die, and more about feeling that they have run out of options and
hope.
The fear and shame surrounding these feeling keeps people isolated and cut off from accessing help, which allows their fear,
hopelessness, and embarrassment to grow bigger and bigger.
Asking about and giving people permission to talk about suicide is the first step toward hope and almost always helps reduce the risk.
Asking someone about suicide doesn’t put the idea in their head; it gives them the chance to let their fear out and talk about other
options.
The Vancouver Island Crisis Society is honouring World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10 by strengthening protective factors factors in the communities it serves by offering Suicide Awareness and Response workshops and a Suicide Bereavement workshop that week.
If you are struggling yourself or you know of anyone else who is struggling, the crisis line is here 24 hours a day. Reach out and call 1‐888‐494‐3888 before things get so overwhelming that suicide becomes an option.
A suicide awareness and response session will be held Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Comox in the Edith McNish Boardroom.
— Vancouver Island Crisis Society