Suicide Prevention and Life Promotion

Suicide, suicide prevention and life promotion are important public health issues. Suicide affects people of all ages and backgrounds. Some groups are at higher risk due to the social conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.

In Niagara:

• A person dies every eight days by suicide
• Deaths by suicide are higher among men, whereas emergency department visits and hospitalizations for self-harm injuries are higher among women

Deaths by suicide and suicide attempts differ by many inequities. This includes income, education, employment, Indigenous status, sexual orientation and gender identity.

In Ontario, the rate of self-reported suicide attempts is greater among people who:

• Identity as bisexual (6.4 times higher), lesbian / gay and bisexual (4.4 times higher), lesbian / gay (2.7 times higher) compared to those to identify as heterosexual
• Do not have a university education (4.7 times higher for those with less than a high school education)
• Lower income (4.3 times higher for those with lowest income compared to highest)
• Are unemployed (2.6 times higher compared to those currently employed)
• Live alone (1.7 times higher compared to couples without children)

Niagara Region Public Health is a member of the Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition. This coalition exists to bring interested community organizations, groups, individuals and volunteers together to make Niagara a suicide-safer community through six areas of focus. The areas of focus include public awareness, media education, access to services, means safety, training and evaluation / research.