Editorial: Discussion of suicide difficult but necessary to saving lives

By KENDALL KING on September 30, 2022.

kking@medicinehatnews.com

Last week an individual I knew died by suicide. To be honest, I didn’t know this individual very well – we weren’t close enough to be called friends. But I had met them several times while reporting for the News and had developed somewhat of an acquaintanceship with them.

Learning of their passing hit harder than one might expect and harder than even I would have predicted. But in our few short interactions, this individual had made an impression on me. One of kindness and authenticity, good humour and light. They were a person filled with life. And yet, they are no longer alive.

Ironically, the topic of suicide was something I had intended to write on this week. In fact, I have intended to write about it throughout the month of September, which is Suicide Awareness Month in Canada. The delay in writing was two-fold, as I waited for officials from various health and mental health associations to respond to my interview requests and schedule a time to discuss with me the hard facts about suicide; as well as sort out, in my own mind, how to tackle a topic of such scale and solemnity.

This is not what I intended to write. And quite frankly, this is one I don’t wish to.

But I am. It needs to be written. Not just because it was someone I knew. Not just because it is a death which happened locally. Not just because it’s the last day of one month of each year when raising the topic seems slightly less daunting, slightly less tepid, as if even speaking the word ‘suicide’ could set off someone struggling. I’m writing it because thoughts of suicide are something more people than we will ever know carry. And that’s a terrible pain to carry alone.

The Centre for Suicide Prevention, a Calgary-based education centre and branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, reports 493 died by suicide in Alberta in 2021 (preliminary numbers), of those deaths 138 occurred in the province’s South zone, 95 in Calgary, 105 in Edmonton and 155 in the North zone. In 2020, the total number of reported suicides was 612, with 135 in the South, 141 in Calgary, 155 in Edmonton and 181 in the North.

I initially assumed numbers would be higher than years previous due to the pandemic – a reasonable assumption considering recent dialogue about the pandemic’s affects on mental health – but surprisingly, Alberta’s suicide statistics change very little year-over-year. For the past 10 years, total numbers of suicides have been within the range of 493 and 668, with an average of 585.2 per year.

All tolled, 5,852 people have died by suicide in Alberta from 2012 to 2021.That number doesn’t take into account individuals who attempted suicide and survived, nor does it quantify the scale of Albertans who have considered suicide.

To be fair, there are no concrete methods of determining those numbers as lingering stigma prevents many from sharing their experiences with suicide.

Hence, Suicide Awareness Month – a month dedicated to reducing stigma through education – including warning signs and prevention techniques – as well as generating hopeful dialogue aimed at those struggling with suicide or affected by it.

And while the goal of the month is admirable, I can’t help but wonder how much impact it really has. I can’t help but wonder if it actually reduces stigma, if it actually provides hope.

Suicide is not an easy topic to navigate. It’s emotionally charged. It’s a bullseye for ignorance-fuelled judgement. It makes people feel vulnerable. And with it, the stakes are high.

But it’s also a necessary conversation.

Few have not been touched by suicide in some form, especially here in Medicine Hat. While education is an important part of discussing suicide, so is compassion and understanding, something all people have the capacity for. So as Suicide Awareness Month comes to a close and we lay to rest another person who by all accounts should be alive today, I ask and encourage everyone to speak openly and honestly about suicide.

Speak with family, friends and acquaintances of all ages, genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations – check in with them and offer a hand to those who need it. Speak on your own experiences, if able, and show the world the topic of suicide is not something to be ashamed of and it’s not something that has to be dealt with alone.

But also speak on the need for more mental health supports – especially suicide-focused. Speak about barriers to support, like cost and location, as well as stigmatization.

Awareness of suicide is not the issue we should be discussing; how we address it is. And if we want to address it in a way that is actually effective, we need to be open and honest about it. Because how we address it now isn’t working, and people are dying as a result.

Kendall King is a reporter for the Medicine Hat News, covering beats such as health, seniors and general assignment. She can be reached at kking@medicinehatnews.com

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