Experts highlight support for youth during Suicide Prevention Month

Shannia Hall says art was an outlet for her in some of her darkest moments as a former child in care.

"You feel so alone, and the pain is heavy," Hall said.

"I was brought to this really dark place where the only option felt like self harm … but then my case worker introduced me to art therapy."

Hall is now pursuing post-secondary schooling to become an art therapist herself, using her life experience to help others. She's also speaking out this September — Suicide Prevention Month — about the importance of mental health support and a feeling of belonging for youth who struggle.

"Even just being in spaces with other kids in care, and knowing I wasn't alone, helped," she said.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention, along with the World Health Organization, has dedicated this year's theme to "Changing the Narrative on Suicide." 

Roughly 4,500 people die by suicide in Canada every year, according to Statistics Canada — equivalent to 12 people dying every day. Young people are one of the most vulnerable populations, and experts say sharing stories about mental health helps reduce the stigma associated with it.

Peel Children's Aid Society is hoping to help reduce that sigma through the launch of a new Youth Wellness Hub in Brampton, set to open in 2025. Mary Beth Moellenkamp, CEO of the Peel Children's Aid Society, says some of the youth who will benefit from the hub will also help design its programming.

"We're very excited about that because it gives children and youth with lived experience in child welfare the opportunity to inform programs in the community that would have been helpful for them," Moellenkamp said.

"That space, where they know that they're going to be heard and that their needs are going to be met, is extremely important."

According to the Ontario government, Peel Children's Aid is the first child welfare organization to be co-designing a Youth Wellness Hub. It's part of an overall vision of regional wellness hubs, in collaboration with the Ontario government, that support children and youth experiencing mental health crises. The objective is to provide professional care and programming to those who need it most, along with supporting their families, teachers and community as they navigate their way through challenges.

The province's overarching goal will be to expand the program provincially into regional wellness hubs across Ontario, and potentially create a roadmap for similar programs across the country.

988 suicide crisis helpline averages 1,000 calls daily

Last year, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) led the launch of 988 — a number that anyone across Canada can call for help. The service offers trauma-informed and culturally affirming support to anyone who is thinking of suicide, or who is worried about someone they know.

On average, the service receives around 1,000 calls per day, according to Dr. Allison Crawford, chief medical officer for the Suicide Crisis Helpline.

"We know crisis lines are an evidence-based approach to decrease suicide and provide people with the support they need as quickly as possible," she said.

"We know there is a need for both community based support, which we get through our partners, and then also people know where to go just as easily as 911."

Sunnybrook Hospital offers specific supports for youth through the Family Navigation Project. The project provides expert navigation through the mental health and addictions systems for youth and their families across the Greater Toronto Area. 

Suicide-related messaging is crucial, said Dr. Mark Sinyor, a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Hospital.

"If we share stories of survival, we see more survival across the population. And that's what we really want to focus on," he said.

"The approach to prevention for suicide in young people is to really understand what the basis of suicide is," Sinyor said. 

"For some people, it's a treatable mental health problem and we can help with that. For other people, it's a problem solving issue. And we know that people who are suicidal often have difficulty figuring out how to solve problems."

A crisis plan to help manage a suicidal crisis can be very effective, Sinyor said.

Reflecting on her youth, Hall says she's grateful for those who supported her during difficult times, and she looks forward to paying that forward. 

Until then, she has this advice for kids who may be struggling.

"You're not in this alone, you never are in this alone," Hall said. 

"And even though your pain may make you feel like it is just you against the world, that's not true — because there is always another choice."