When whispers of a colleague’s whereabouts started spreading around her nursing class, Elaine Santa Mina couldn’t help but be curious. But as soon as she asked what happened, she was silenced.
“People were saying she died by suicide and considered it taboo to talk about,” said Santa Mina, registered nurse and professor at Ryerson University, during her keynote speech on suicide awareness.
Wednesday, the Milton Sports Centre was host to 150 nurses, medical professionals, mental health workers, emergency responders and interested parties from Halton for World Suicide Prevention Day.
Organized by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Halton chapter, it was reportedly the first time an event of that magnitude was organized around suicide prevention in Halton.
“The attendance confirms the need for increased discussion and dialogue,” said Karimah Alidina, president of the RNAO Halton chapter.
According to Stats Canada, suicide is the number one cause of death in people aged 15 to 34. A report released by the World Health Organization a week ago confirmed that more than 800,000 people die by suicide every year – that’s one death every 40 seconds.
In Halton, there are about 30 suicide deaths and more than 420 hospitalizations due to attempted suicides every year based on stats from the Halton Suicide Prevention Coalition.
One of Halton’s registered nurses was supposed to share her story with the audience on her suicide attempt and how she moved past it, but at the last minute, she couldn’t bear to relive the moment.
“I had attempted suicide over a decade ago, but coming and talking about it here makes it so real,” said the RN in a statement read by Alidina to the audience.
The stigmatization of suicide and mental health issues was the major theme of the night.
“Suicide is often ignored, hidden and misunderstood,” said Halton MPP Indira Maidoo-Harris, who attended the event.
Santa Mina pointed out that both social and clinical factors lead to suicidal feelings, including isolation, gender issues, race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, impulsivity, illness and history of trauma.
However, the biggest alarm bell is when people say they feel hopeless.
“People need to feel they have a reason to live,” she said.
The event was meant not only to raise awareness of the issue, but also to highlight available resources such as: Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton, Distress Centre North Halton, Halton Healthcare Services, Milton Fire Department, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Halton Regional Police Service.
This is the 11th year of World Suicide Prevention Week.
All of the guest speakers agreed that although events like this are a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to address suicide and mental health issues.
