Suicide is the act of taking one's own life. The numbers of suicides per year are rising rapidly. Reasons people commit suicide can include: Mental illnesses (including depression, bipolar, anxiety, schizophrenia, personality disorders), addictions, financial difficulties, relationship problems, bullying, poor home life, academic pressure, and more. People who have attempted suicide previously are at a higher risk for future attempts. Suicide is completely preventable, we just need to know the warning signs.
Warning Signs
- Always talking or thinking of death
- Depression
- Trouble sleeping and eating
- Self harming regularly
- Having a "death wish"
- Loss of interest
- Making comments about being hopeless or worthless
- Tying up loose ends
- Saying things like "it would be better off without me" or "I'm so done with all of this"
- Talking about suicide or killing oneself
- Cleaning up one's space and belongings
- Calling people to say goodbye.
Who Does it Affect?
Suicide can affect anyone, no matter your age, race, or gender. Most commonly, First native people, people who served in the forces, people with mental illnesses, and the people left behind. Suicide does not end the pain, it passes it on to friends, family, teachers, peers, and more. Suicidal people tend to hide their feelings, leading to an emotional or mental breakdown and a suicide attempt. People who have attempted suicide before, are more likely to make another attempt. Getting help is important. It may save a life.
Statistics
- Suicide rate for Inuit or aboriginal people is 60-75 people per 100,000
- Suicide rates for all Canadians is 15 people per 100,000.
- Suicide rates are 4x higher for men than women. However women make 3 to 4 times more suicide attempts than men.
- In Canada, suicide accounts for 24 percent of all deaths between 15 and 24 year olds.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Canada among people aged 10-24
- Each year in Canada, there are approximately 4000 suicides a year. That's approximately 11 suicides per day.
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