World Suicide Prevention Day will be marked on Saturday, September 10.
The Canadian Mental Health Association of Weyburn has 100 ribbons to give away. They requested these ribbons from the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. This is the first time a universal suicide prevention awareness ribbon has been released by the International Association of Suicide Prevention. CASP’s goal is to distribute 100,000 free ribbons across Canada.
The 100,000 ribbons signifies how many deaths by suicide and suicide attempts there are every year in Canada. Each year there is an average of 4,000 deaths by suicide. For every suicide, there are approximately 25 attempts.
CMHA Weyburn wanted to be a part of raising awareness, please stop by their Weyburn office this week for a ribbon.
World Suicide Prevention Day was initiated by the World Health Organization. The theme for 2016 is “connect, communicate and care.” This day provides a special opportunity for education on suicide and its prevention.
According to WHO, over 800,000 deaths are attributed to suicide each year worldwide. Overall, Canada’s suicide rates are dropping, but for some provinces and regions the rates are climbing. After the Nunavut, with sky-high numbers, and NWT, Saskatchewan leads the other provinces with the highest rates of suicide at an average of almost 12 per 100,000 population. Suicide among males in Saskatchewan is almost triple that of females.
