International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day

The number of suicides in Canada fell from 4,528 in 2019 to a decade-low 3,839 in 2020, and suicide went from the 9th to the 12th leading cause of death.

Two recent Health Reports studies shed light on the mental health of Canadians and suicide prior to and during the pandemic.

Based on the responses of almost 23,000 Canadians during the first two years of the pandemic, one study estimates that two-thirds (66.0%) of Canadian adults have no mental health difficulties, one-quarter (25.5%) have low-to-moderate mental health difficulties and 1 in 12 (8.8%) have severe mental health difficulties. 

The study also found that approximately 1 in 5 Canadians with severe mental health difficulties, and 1 in 25 with low-to-moderate mental health difficulties, have contemplated suicide since the onset of the pandemic.

A second study looks at suicide in Newfoundland Labrador over a 20-year period prior to the pandemic.

The study found that men were 4.6 times more likely to commit suicide than women over this period. Men who died by suicide were more likely to be from a rural community and to have died by firearm. Women were more likely to die by self-poisoning and to have had a mental illness or substance use history.

The studies, titled “Profiles of mental health and their association with negative impacts and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Canadian perspective” and “Sex differences in suicide mortality in Newfoundland and Labrador: An observational study with medical examiner data from 1997 to 2016,” are available in the August issue of Health Reports.

Help is available for suicide crisis and prevention. Get support from a local crisis centre. There is also Talk Suicide Canada (1-833-456-4566), Kids Help Phone, the Hope for Wellness Help Line, and 1 866 APPELLE (277-3553) (Quebec residents), that all offer 24/7 support.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1.

It's important to get help if you or someone you know is going through a crisis or thinking about suicide. You're not alone. Learn about the resources available to you.