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CLABC |
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Crisis Line Association of British Columbia |
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Recent & Upcoming Events:
September 10th, 2010 is World Suicide Prevention Day
There are events, educational opportunities and information available around the world. Contact your local crisis line for information on World Suicide Prevention Day. Or go to the International Association for Suicide Prevention www.iasp.info or the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at www.casp-acps.ca/ to learn more.
Last Year’s Press Release: 2009
WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAYSEPTEMBER 10TH
RECESSION BRINGS A NEW FACE TO SUICIDE
On Monday, June 29th, the 39 year old former Saskatchewan MP, Dave Batters lost his battle with depression and anxiety and ended his life by suicide. Unlike myths that suggest suicide only happens to people who are disenfranchised, the reality is that suicide happens to anyone regardless of social status as evidenced by this recent loss.
We ask ourselves, what on earth could he have been thinking? Could it be thoughts similar to those we hear from people who call the crisis line feeling that their life has become too overwhelming?
“I’m half the man I used to be since my illness. I’m no good to my family or to anyone else. I can’t stand the pain any longer…”
“I lost everything at the casino trying to make enough to pay the bills. How am I going to face my family, it’s too much...”
“Our retirement savings were tied up in investments and now they’re almost gone. How could I be such a failure? They’d all be better off without me…”
“I was the hero in high school but the pressure of college is too much. Everyone expects so much from me, and I can’t take it anymore…”
“Since his suicide, I’ve been forced to take a minimum wage job just to get by. Everyone said they would be there for me, but no one ever calls. I wish I could go to sleep and never wake up…”
These statements provide insight into the silent anguish experienced by someone who is thinking about suicide. They are the thoughts of our neighbours, grandfathers, bosses, honour roll students, business owners, firefighters, mental health workers, and community members everywhere because losses, anxiety, depression and addictions don’t care where you work, what your bank balance is or the kind of house that you live in.
CANADA LOSES 4,000 PEOPLE AND SEE 23,000 CANADIANS HOSPITALIZED EACH YEAR FOR SUICIDE
Researchers say those that are most at risk are medical doctors (especially female), nurses, anaesthetists, dentists, pharmacists, veterinary surgeons, farmers and the largest overall category being male. According to the World Health Organization, suicide is Canada’s leading cause of preventable death.
This year’s World Suicide Prevention Day is about building hope for tomorrow by bringing our community together today and conveying the message that suicide can happen to anybody at any time. In today’s world of global economic turmoil and uncertainty there has never been a better time for neighbours to come together and say “I care” than now. Especially since the people we are losing to suicide; military personnel, firefighters, police, paramedics, artists, first nations, elderly men, doctors, young people, high achievers, community members, and business people who have experienced overwhelming losses, are often the people who are less likely to take that first step to reach out for help and support.
Instead, they carry their heavy burden of pain in silence, mistakenly thinking the world would be better off if they were no longer here. They leave us, after the fact, wondering what happened, what we missed, and what we could have done to help them. We who survive understand that there is no pain greater than our loss and that everything else could have been worked out if only we had known.
WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE
But because of shame, stigma, and the societal assumption that suicide is something that happens to “them” as opposed to “us” we often miss its warning signs which spell out the acronym IS PATH WARM.
Ideation – Talking or thinking about suicide Substance Abuse – Misusing substances can be a serious red flag that something is wrong. 50% of all suicide deaths in Canada have an alcohol component. Purposelessness – Someone who has lost a sense of purpose in life. In this economy, this is especially relevant since unemployment rates continue to increase. Anxiety – Worrying about things we have no control over such as job losses and finances. Trapped – Feelings of being stuck in a hopeless situation that there is no way out of. Hopelessness – Feeling like nothing will ever get better. Withdrawal – Pulling away from family, friends, or activities when they are needed the most. Anger – Feelings of constant rage and anger. Recklessness – Taking dangerous risks with health or safety. Mood Changes – Marked changes in mood.
If you or anyone you know displays one or more of these warning signs for suicide, please call your local crisis line and talk with one of our empathetic and skilled crisis line workers for support and information. They can help assess the situation, work jointly to create a safe plan, and help connect you or the person you’re concerned about to appropriate community health resources.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
By understanding that suicide thrives in the dark and revels in the silence of stigma, we have an opportunity as a community to create change. People who are willing to turn on the lights, step forward, and say “I care,” will send a powerful message of hope and life to others who are struggling.
The Crisis Line Association of BC (CLABC) and its member agencies support provincial and national efforts to prevent suicide.
Crisis Lines in British Columbia answer over 175,000 calls yearly. That’s a call every 3 minutes to a local crisis line. Of these calls ten to fourteen percent of callers tell us about their suicidal thoughts, intentions or of their concerns for another being suicidal. That’s 21,000 suicide-related calls a year in B.C. or a suicide call every 35 minutes, every day in this province supported by local crisis lines. Talking saves lives. Find your local Crisis Line number in the phone book emergency page or check the website www.crisislines.bc.ca .
In addition to local crisis lines numbers, there is an additional telephone number available in the province networking several of the crisis lines to a toll free access point to suicide prevention and intervention services. This is the 1-800-SUICIDE number. Immediate access to these crisis line services saves lives.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) developed a blue print for suicide prevention in Canada in October 2004. To access quick links to crisis lines across Canada or for info on support for survivors of suicide go to http://www.casp-acps.ca/ .
Coordinated and comprehensive suicide prevention initiatives save lives. Several crisis lines have planned local events such as walks, vigils for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, awareness campaigns and suicide prevention workshops to acknowledge World Suicide Prevention Day.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Elizabeth Newcombe, President Crisis Line Association of BC c/o Central Vancouver Island Crisis Society P.O. Box 1118, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 6E7 Bus: (250) 753-2495 Fax: (250) 753-2475 Email: elizabeth@cvics.ca or Your local crisis line contact |
