- In Canada, 11 people die by suicide each day[1]
- There are 4,000 deaths by suicide in Canada each year[1]
- From 2002-2017, the rate of self-harm emergency department (ED) visits increased by 31.8% in Windsor-Essex County[2].
- Preliminary data from the Office of the Chief Coroner & Ontario Pathology Office in 2019 indicates that there were 56 deaths caused by intentional self-harm in 2017, which represents the highest number of self-harm mortalities in Windsor-Essex County from 2007 onwards.[3]
- Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Canadian individuals have reported that their mental health has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic began, 46% were feeling anxious and stressed, and 14% were having trouble coping.[4]
- 1 in 20 Canadian individuals (6%) have recently experienced thoughts or feelings of suicide as a result of the pandemic, with increased risk among those who already had a mental illness or a mental health issue (18%). The rate of suicidal ideation among Canadians was approximately 3.5% higher than rates available prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2.5%).[1]
Vulnerable Population Groups
- People With Previous Suicide Attempts - One study found that patients with a previous suicide attempt were 38 times more likely to die by suicide than those with no previous attempts[5].
- People with Pre-Existing Mental Health Conditions Or Illnesses - Of the 4,000 deaths by suicide each year, 90% were living with a mental health problem or illness[6].
- Middle-Aged Men (Self-Harm Mortalities) - The risk of self-harm mortality for men living in Windsor-Essex County was 3.3 times higher compared to women in the period between 2007 and 2016[2]. In particular, the greatest age specific self-harm mortality rate was identified in the 45-64 age group.[2]
- Women (Self-Harm Emergency Department Visits) - Although self-harm mortalities are higher in men than women, self-harm ED visits in Windsor-Essex County were on average 53.1% higher among women than men annually from 2007-2017.[2]
- Indigenous Populations (First Nations, Metis & Inuit) - The rate of suicide is three times higher among the First Nations population (24.3 deaths per 100,000 per-years at risk), two times higher among the Metis population (14.7 deaths per 100,000 person-years at risk), and nine times higher among the Inuit population (72.3 deaths per 100,000 person-years at risk) in Canada than the non-Indigenous population (8.0 deaths per 100,000 per years at risk)[7].
- LGBTQ2S+ Populations - Youth who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are five times more likely than non-lesbian, gay, or bisexual youth to consider suicide and seven times more likely to attempt suicide[8]. Of the 0.5% of the population who identifies as transgender[9], over 10% have reported recently attempting suicide and 22-43% have attempted suicide in their lifetime[10].
Now, more than ever, it is important to build community-wide strategies that foster and support mental health promotion and suicide prevention awareness, education, and intervention. The ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health reinforce the importance of sustaining our annual efforts for life promotion and suicide prevention in Windsor-Essex County. Having an entire month dedicated to suicide prevention awareness, education, and training is a reflection of our community’s compassion and broader commitment to reduce the incidences of self-harm and suicide in Windsor-Essex County.
[1] Public Health Agency of Canada. (2016). Suicide in Canada: Key Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/healthy-living/suicide-canada-key-statistics-infographic/pub-eng.pdf
[2] Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. (2018). Intentional Self-Harm Report, 2007-2017 Report. Windsor, Ontario. Retrieved from https://www.wechu.org/sites/default/files/clone-dental-health-adults-and-seniors-windsor-essex-survey-results-2018/e-e-epidemiology-intentional-self-harm-2007-2017-report-822322018.pdf
[3] Windsor-Essex County Health Unit & Canadian Mental Health Association – Windsor-Essex County Branch. (2019). Mental Health Promotion in Windsor-Essex County. Report 2019. Windsor, Ontario.
[4] Canadian Mental Health Association (National) & the University of British Columbia. (2020). Warning signs: More Canadians thinking about suicide during pandemic. Retrieved from https://cmha.ca/news/warning-signs-more-canadians-thinking-about-suicide-during-pandemic
[5] Harris, E.C. & Barraclough. (1997). Suicide as an outcome for mental disorders. A meta-analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 170, 205-228. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.170.3.205
[6] Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Suicide in Canada: Current Context. Retrieved from https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/healthy-living-vie-saine/su…
[7] Statistics Canada. (2019). Suicide among First Nations people, Metis, and Inuit (2011-2016): Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environmental Cohort (CanCHEC). Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/99-011-x/99-011-x2019001-eng.htm
[8] Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (2008). Suicide risk and prevention in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth. Newton, MA: Education Development Center, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/migrate/library/SPRC_LGBT_Youth…
[9] Bauer, G., Zong, X., Scheim, A., Hammond, R., & Thind, A. (2015a). Factors impacting transgender patients discomfort with their family physicians: A respondent-driven sampling study. PloSONE 2015; 10(12): e0145046. https:// doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0145046
[10] Bauer, G., Scheim, A., Travers, R., & Hammond, R. (2015b). Intervenable factors associated with suicide risk in transgender persons. A respondents driven suicide risk sampling study in Ontario, Canada. BMC Public Health. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-1867-2. Retrieved from https:// bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/ track/pdf/10.1186/s12889-015-1867- 2?site=bmcpublichealth. biomedcentral.com