BC Council for Families

About 4,000 people in Canada die by suicide each year, and for every completed suicide, there are 20-40 suicide attempts.  Now, researchers at McMaster University and the Mental Health and Addictions program of Hamilton’s St. Joseph Hospital are investigating what makes suicidal individuals choose life. The Reasons to go on Living Project is collecting the stories of suicide attempts and the decision to go on living. Researchers hope that analysis of the stories will enable them to better understand how people find reasons to go on.

“We don’t really understand how the shift takes place - how someone makes the transition from feeling that they need to end their life and being desperate, to recognizing how valuable and precious life is, and finding the resolve to go on. If we had an understanding of that process, perhaps we could help people make that journey more quickly,” says Dr. Jennifer Brasch, Medical Director of the Psychiatric Emergency Service, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and lead researcher of the project.

As a complement to the Reasons to go on Living Project, individuals who have lost someone to suicide are also being encouraged to submit their stories online. The researchers note that the stories of survivors are an important part of understanding how suicide and suicide attempts affect the lives of many people.

The stories and experiences of young people who have suffered the loss of a friend or family member to suicide is also the subject of an educational video currently in production at the BC Council for Families. The video, which will be released in 2010, explores the unique aspects of the grieving process in young people, and supports and best practices for professionals who work with bereaved youth.

• To find out more, contact us at postvention@bccf.ca
• Learn more about the Reasons to go on Living Project at www.thereasons.ca