Chris Lowrey
QUEBEC Feb. 7, 2018
This week marks the 28th annual edition of Suicide Prevention Week, which runs from Feb. 4 to 10.
The week of raising awareness about suicide comes on the heels of Bell Let’s Talk Day where the telecom company pledged to donate money for every social media interaction with the Let’s Talk Day hashtag.
The campaign aims to accomplish the same thing as Bell Let’s Talk Day – although on a more specific topic – that those who are suffering can talk about their mental health issues.
The stigma attached to mental illnesses generally – and suicide specifically – has been waning in the last few years thanks to efforts to get people talking about the issue.
The Do It For Daron foundation was started by former NHL player Luke Richardson and his wife Stephanie after their daughter, Daron, took her own life in 2010.
In the intervening years, the Do It For Daron foundation has raised funds for mental health awareness. But more importantly, Do It For Daron has raised awareness about youth mental health issues.
According to the Do It For Daron website, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for young people aged 16-24.
But it isn’t only youth that are suffering. According to the Quebec Association for the Prevention of Suicide (AQPS), one person in the Outaouais takes their own life every week.
For instance, men aged 45-64 are those who need help the most, but are least likely to seek help and use the resources available to them.
Suicide Prevention Week will focus almost exclusively on one topic: communication.
Communication is the most important preventative measure when it comes to suicide. The more people speak about it, the less stigma is attached.
“When you’re in distress, talking about your suicidal thoughts to a loved one or a caregiver is an important step in reducing your suffering,” said Jérôme Gaudreault, Director General of AQPS in a press release.
Quebec’s Suicide Prevention Week started in 1986.
