Canada's Silent Tragedy

According to Statistics Canada 3,765 suicides were reported in 2003, compared with 2,766 traffic fatalities that same year. In 1991, there were 3,593 reported suicides, compared with 3,690 traffic fatalities.

Alarming as these statistics are, they may be low. This is because it is impossible to know exactly how many deaths in single-vehicle crashes, railway trespassing incidents and other 'accidents' are intentional.

In Canada, suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 25 to 29 and 40 to 44, and for women aged 30 to 34. It is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 24. For each completed suicide there are 100 attempts, and over 23,000 Canadians are hospitalized each year for a suicide attempt.

Prevention Strategies

Suicides are not sudden and unpredictable. They are rarely the result of a single painful experience or loss. About 80 per cent of victims give signals that they are suicidal before taking their own life, although few make a direct plea for help.

Mental health conditions, sometimes very well-hidden, are usually a factor. Over 90 per cent of suicide victims have a psychiatric illness, most often depression, at the time of their death, in many cases undiagnosed, untreated or both. One in 10 people living with schizophrenia dies by suicide.

The mental health community must be at the front lines to address the causes of suicide through treatment, public education, and strategies to help at-risk individuals. In addition, safety measures and policies play an important role.

• The proportion of completed suicides is highest with a firearm (92 per cent). A home where there are firearms is five times more likely to be the scene of a suicide than a home without a gun. Reducing access to guns results in fewer suicides.
• The highest incidence of self-inflicted poisoning is among women in their 20s to 40s who use tranquillizers, analgesics, anti-depressants and other psychotropic medications. Physicians and pharmacists must keep a close eye on such prescriptions.
• The combination of mood disorders and substance abuse greatly heightens the risk of suicide. This reinforces the need for preventive policies with respect to alcohol, illegal drugs and prescription medications.
• Another suicide method has been to inhale vehicle exhaust, which is high in carbon monoxide (CO). The levels of CO coming from the tailpipes of new vehicles are now so low it would be very hard for them to cause poisoning.
• The media have a powerful influence. They can educate the public about suicide - or they can provoke copycat suicides. If a suicide is covered, reporting must be responsible and sensitive.

Guns in the Home

Nearly 80 per cent of all firearms deaths in Canada are suicides, compared to 15 per cent of homicides. A firearm is the method used in nearly 20 per cent of all suicide fatalities. Some say that in the absence of a firearm, a suicidal person will seek out another method, but research indicates that is not so.

A Quebec study by the Centre de prévention du suicide 02 examined whether suicide rates were related to gun ownership rates. It found that where hunting for sport is common and firearms are more readily available, the firearm suicide rate is higher than in urban areas. Moreover, as the firearm related suicide rate increased, so did the overall death rate by suicide. The researchers concluded that if a suicidal person does not have access to a firearm, there is no evidence that another method will be used, at least not one as lethal as a firearm.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Most suicidal individuals can be helped and can go on to lead rewarding and meaningful lives.

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention is working on a blueprint for a national suicide prevention strategy. Such a strategy will require commitment from federal, provincial and territorial governments, and broad-based support.

Safety Canada January 2004

Updated September 2006

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B. Mishara, Suicide Section of Intentional Injuries Background Paper (PDF), Canadian Injury Prevention Strategy,






Reaching out to prevent suicide can save lives - Canadian Health Network

Reporting on Suicide: Recommendations for the Media, American Society for Suicide Prevention