Suicide Prevention

What is the issue?

Suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in Canada. It’s a serious public health problem with lasting, harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities.

Evidence has indicated that one of the most common risk factors for suicide is a diagnosis of a mental health problem or illness. Fortunately, programs and strategies are available that can make a difference.

What are we doing?

As part of our ongoing commitment to life promotion and suicide prevention, we have created a range of evidence-based resources.

Roots of Hope
A Community-led Suicide Prevention Project, Roots of Hope builds on community expertise to implement suicide interventions tailored to local contexts. Through this project, we are building an evidence base that includes best practices, guidelines, and tools to support the development of a suicide prevention model across the country.

#ShareHope

Using the hashtag #sharehope allows Canadians to share messages of hope and resilience via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr. Not on social media? Click to add a post directly to our #sharehope wall.

Learning Modules

Suicide: Facing the Difficult Topic Together
A free course designed to equip health care providers with the skills and confidence to have conversations with patients about suicide (accredited for continuing professional development). Developed by the MHCC, in partnership with the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) and mdBriefCase.

Toolkits

Suicide Prevention Toolkits
Developed by the MHCC, in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and an advisory committee of people with lived experience related to suicide, these toolkits offer a repository of resources to support people who have been impacted by suicide.
Suicide Risk Assessment Toolkit: A Resource for Healthcare Workers and Organizations
Developed in collaboration with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, provides a high-level overview of what health-care workers and organization need to consider when using suicide risk assessment tools. It also highlights and describes a range of available tools.
Preventing Suicide: A Community Engagement Toolkit
A resource based on #308conversations, a grassroots campaign inviting Canada’s MPs to start a conversation on suicide prevention at a meeting in their riding. Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the MHCC.

Webinars

A repository of webinars on suicide prevention, life promotion, intervention, and the community response to suicide (postvention).

Fact sheets

Information on suicide and bullying, injury prevention, trauma-informed care, older adults, sexual minorities, transgender people and COVID-19. Developed through an MHCC partnership with the Centre for Suicide Prevention (CSP).

Research

Research on Suicide and its Prevention: What the Current Evidence Reveals and Topics for Future Research
A literature summary aimed at building a shared Canadian research agenda on suicide and its prevention. Part of an ongoing initiative co-led by the MHCC and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Post-Attempt Followup and Regular Contact Interventions - Evidence Brief on Suicide Care
A summary of current evidence and best practices as it relates to post-discharge followup after a suicide attempt.
The Crossroads of Opioid Use and Suicide: Let’s Meet People Where They Need Us
Opioid use and suicide share many of the same risk factors and the same protective factors, addressing these factors can help prevent suicides and reduce the harms of opioid use.
COVID-19 and Suicide: Potential Implications and Opportunities to Influence Trends in Canada - Policy Brief
A summary of current evidence as it relates to the potential impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health and suicide rates (including suicidal ideation, attempts, and death), risk and protective factors to monitor, and opportunities to influence trends in Canada.
Talking to Children About a Suicide
A conversation tool to help caregivers, parents, and guardians understand how to speak with children in their lives suicide when a suicide happens in the community or if someone they know has died by suicide.
Considerations for Implementing a Three-Digit Suicide Prevention Number in Canada
This policy brief outlines considerations for implementing a three-digit suicide prevention number in Canada. It reviews several relevant international contexts; specifically, the implementation of a three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline (988) in the United States (U.S.) and the recently approved 113 number in the Netherlands. The brief is based on the survey, informal interviews, and a scan of academic and grey literature by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). The considerations it explores include the accessibility and visibility of the service, the capacity of crisis centres, training and staffing standardization, funding and operating costs, and the three-digit number selection.

Resources

Suicide Prevention in the Workplace

835.24 kB

Suicide Postvention Resources for Canadian Communities

359.58 kB

School-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse: A Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

764.56 kB

Improving Mental Health Services for Immigrant, Refugee, EthnoCultural and Racialized Groups: Issues and Options for Service Improvement

639.47 kB

National Collaborative on Suicide Prevention - Draft Framework for Collaboration

712.22 kB

A Study of Police Academy Training and Education for New Police Officers Related to Working with People with Mental Illness

268.95 kB

Police Interactions with Persons with a Mental Illness: Police Learning in the Environment of Contemporary Policing

1.19 MB

Turning the Key: Assessing Housing and Related Supports for Persons Living with Mental Health Problems and Illness - Summary

1.31 MB

Mental Health Series in Canadian Nurse - March 2014

Suicide Prevention and Postvention Initiatives

738.23 kB

Fact Sheet - Help to Prevent Suicide

As 2,000 municipal leaders gathered at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities…

302.17 kB

Seniors Mental Health Policy Lens Toolkit

1.52 MB

	Roots of Hope A Community-led Suicide Prevention Project, Roots of Hope builds on community expertise to implement suicide interventions tailored to local contexts. Through this project, we are building an evidence base that includes best practices, guidelines, and tools to support the development of a suicide prevention model across the country.
	#ShareHope Using the hashtag #sharehope allows Canadians to share messages of hope and resilience via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr. Not on social media? Click to add a post directly to our #sharehope wall.
	Learning Modules Suicide: Facing the Difficult Topic Together A free course designed to equip health care providers with the skills and confidence to have conversations with patients about suicide (accredited for continuing professional development). Developed by the MHCC, in partnership with the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) and mdBriefCase.
	Toolkits Suicide Prevention Toolkits Developed by the MHCC, in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and an advisory committee of people with lived experience related to suicide, these toolkits offer a repository of resources to support people who have been impacted by suicide. Suicide Risk Assessment Toolkit: A Resource for Healthcare Workers and Organizations Developed in collaboration with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, provides a high-level overview of what health-care workers and organization need to consider when using suicide risk assessment tools. It also highlights and describes a range of available tools. Preventing Suicide: A Community Engagement Toolkit A resource based on #308conversations, a grassroots campaign inviting Canada’s MPs to start a conversation on suicide prevention at a meeting in their riding. Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the MHCC.
	Webinars A repository of webinars on suicide prevention, life promotion, intervention, and the community response to suicide (postvention).
	Fact sheets Information on suicide and bullying, injury prevention, trauma-informed care, older adults, sexual minorities, transgender people and COVID-19. Developed through an MHCC partnership with the Centre for Suicide Prevention (CSP).
	Research Research on Suicide and its Prevention: What the Current Evidence Reveals and Topics for Future Research A literature summary aimed at building a shared Canadian research agenda on suicide and its prevention. Part of an ongoing initiative co-led by the MHCC and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Post-Attempt Followup and Regular Contact Interventions - Evidence Brief on Suicide Care A summary of current evidence and best practices as it relates to post-discharge followup after a suicide attempt. The Crossroads of Opioid Use and Suicide: Let’s Meet People Where They Need Us Opioid use and suicide share many of the same risk factors and the same protective factors, addressing these factors can help prevent suicides and reduce the harms of opioid use. COVID-19 and Suicide: Potential Implications and Opportunities to Influence Trends in Canada - Policy Brief A summary of current evidence as it relates to the potential impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health and suicide rates (including suicidal ideation, attempts, and death), risk and protective factors to monitor, and opportunities to influence trends in Canada. Talking to Children About a Suicide A conversation tool to help caregivers, parents, and guardians understand how to speak with children in their lives suicide when a suicide happens in the community or if someone they know has died by suicide. Considerations for Implementing a Three-Digit Suicide Prevention Number in Canada This policy brief outlines considerations for implementing a three-digit suicide prevention number in Canada. It reviews several relevant international contexts; specifically, the implementation of a three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline (988) in the United States (U.S.) and the recently approved 113 number in the Netherlands. The brief is based on the survey, informal interviews, and a scan of academic and grey literature by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). The considerations it explores include the accessibility and visibility of the service, the capacity of crisis centres, training and staffing standardization, funding and operating costs, and the three-digit number selection.

What is the issue?

What are we doing?

Resources

Related Initiatives

Multimedia