Suicide Awareness

It affects all of us ...

Suicide is a universal human concern. People who die by suicide come from many cultural and religious groups and from all educational and socioeconomic levels.

 In Alberta, more people die by suicide than by motor vehicle collision every year.

Any one of us, or someone we love, could be vulnerable to considering suicide as an escape during a time of personal crisis. 

Suicide need not claim as many lives as it does each year.

 

There is help available:

If you are considering suicide, please call the 24-hour Distress Line (780) 482-HELP.

If you are caring for someone who is suicidal, please contact The Support Network's Caregiver Support program.

If you have lost someone to suicide, please contact The Support Network's Suicide Bereavement Program.

If you are in a helping field and require training in how to help someone who is suicidal, please consider The Support Network's Suicide Prevention Training.

 

All Canadians can play a role in suicide prevention.

In spite of our alarming suicide rates, Canada remains one of the few industrialized countries that still does not have a national suicide prevention strategy.

In 2004, the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) published its Blue Print for a National Suicide Prevention Strategy.  While provinces throughout Canada have used this document to establish provincial suicide prevention frameworks and it has recieved international recognition, this document has yet to be acknowledged by the Canadian Government. Canada must join other countries such as the U.S.A, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and many other European and Asian countries and establish a national suicide prevention strategy.

CASP invites all Canadians to demonstrate their support for suicide prevention by participating in an on-line petition. To register your support for a national suicide prevention strategy and urge the Government of Canada to take action, go to: http://nspscnd.epetitions.net.


CASP has also started a mail in post card campaign that asks the Minister of Health for the Government of Canada to take action on this important public health issue.  Copies of this post card can be downloaded from our website.  To have copies of the post card mailed to you for distribution in your community, please contact our office at casp@casp-acps.ca.


Thank you for your support.
 

Sample postcard:
 
 
SAMPLE POSTCARD WITH EXPLANATION

 

Last updated: January 21, 2010