Today (Tuesday, September 10th) is world suicide prevention day.

It’s a day to highlight the issues and complications around mental health while raising awareness that suicide can be prevented.

It’s an issue staff, volunteers and counselors at Kids Help Phone deal with on a daily basis. The organization says conversations from youth around suicide have increased by 99 per cent in the last four years.

“[Suicide] comes up in most conversations. We talk about it now in a way that we actually assess for suicide in every conversation that happens at Kids Help Phone,” explained clinical practise specialist Gayle Browne, with Kids Help Phone. “If it’s not something that needs to be talked about that’s fine, but we do ask in every conversation if that’s something that’s come up for them, just to make sure.”

Browne says being able to talk about the issues openly is a key to prevention.

“I think it’s vitally important and it can be even life and death,” she explained. “If people are left alone with the things that they’re dealing with and they’re really feeling they can’t handle it anymore, they’ve gotten into a place where it’s gotten that black and white, it can be really really dangerous.

Browne says Kids Help Phone hopes that by addressing the topic of suicide that people who are struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide reach out to their family, friends or professionals for help and support in dealing with the crisis.

“We know that people are ending their lives and those numbers are going up and we need to have resources for people and resources they can reach in that moment.”

In Alberta, there were 10,200 calls to Kids Help Phone. 1,484 Live Chat counseling sessions took place in 2017. Youth from Alberta visited the Kids Help Phone website 1,013 times. Suicide was the most frequently discussed issue by youth in Alberta with a Kids Help Phone counselor.

If you or someone you know is in distress and needs someone to talk to you can find some links below that will connect you with crisis supports.

Kids Help Phone: If you know a young person who is in need of help right now they can text the word ‘CONNECT’ to 686868 to chat with a volunteer Crisis Responder 24/7.

Kids Help Phone is always open. Young people can connect with a professional counselor by calling 1-800-668-6868 or through Live Chat at KidsHelpPhone.ca.

The Distress Centre: This is a resource for adults run by the Distress Centre in Calgary. The 24/ crisis line offers help and support for those dealing with crisis, distress or suicide prevention. Helpline Phone number: 403-266-4357.

Health Link can also offer support by dialing 8-1-1 or you can reach out through the Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

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