Alberta's suicide rate to be examined in mental health review

AlbertaHealth Minister Sarah Hoffman says an upcoming mental health review in the province will include alook at the spike in suicides that some say may be connected tooil and gas layoffs.

There were 252 suicides in Alberta from January to June 2014.During the same period this yearthere were327 a 30 per cent increase.The province's unemployment rate rose from 4.7 per cent to 5.7 per cent during the first six months of 2015.

Hoffman saidthe numbers are very concerning.

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"I hope that the end result is that more people are supported, less people are taking their own life, less people are becoming addicted to substances that often have very tragic outcomes at the end of the day, and that we have more supports and less needs in the long run," Hoffman told reporters Monday.

"But of course the needs are continuing to grow today, and that's one of the reasons why we need to move on having this review."

Hoffman saidmental health efforts received a $10-million boost in the provincial budgetunveiled in October.

"We're not going to wait until the next budget cycle to get more resources into the hands of community members," she said.

Reducing stigma important

Craig Johnson, who volunteered in the area of suicide prevention for 18 years,says rising numbers place a priority on limiting the stigma around suicide to helpencouragemore people to come forward for help.

"[We're] trying to get the word out about how we can help each other through times like these," he said.

Mara Grunau, who heads theCentre for Suicide Prevention in Calgary, saidthe numbers in Alberta are high to begin with.

"More Albertans die by suicide every year than they do in fatal car collisions," she told CBC's Calgary Eyeopeneron Monday.

She saidone of the main goals should be to talk about suicide to reduce the stigma.

"We want to have open, constructive conversations," saidGrunau.

Grunau saidthe committee behind the mental health review should tablea report in early 2016.

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Hoffman said Alberta's fentanyl crisis will also be examined in the report, and that sheis thrilledthe committee expectsto meet her deadline of the end of the year.

Minister to pursuemore funding

Dr. David Swann, the leader ofAlberta's Liberal Party and themember of the legislature for Calgary-Mountainview, is on the committee. He saidthere is a lot of work underway already, but the review would like to see where the province can fill in the gaps.

"We know there is an increased incidenceof depression and anxiety in young people.First Nations have up to seven times ashigh arate ofsuicide and they have much fewer resources," said Swann."So we do need to beef up the resources."

He said the systemhas been "fragmented and under-resourced" for a number of years.

The health minister saidthe $10-million boost will help fix that, and that more funds could arrive next year.

"We will be bringing forward a spring budget, and I will be confident to make a case for why we need to allocate towards mental health," Hoffman said.

She saida look at mental healthwas amongthe NDP's campaign promisesin the last provincial election.

"I don't think there's any MLA in this house who didn't hear about mental health when theywere out doorknocking," said Hoffman.

"I thinkthe good news is that people are more comfortable talking about it. The tragic news is that more and more people are being directly impacted either themselves personally or somebody that they love."

How to help

Cindy Negrello, director of client services at the Canadian Mental Health Associationin Calgary, saidthe spike in suicides could be related to the recession, but most likely has other causes.

"It could be a loss of job, it could be a loss of a pet, it could be a loss of a relationship, it could be loss of friendshipyou know, all those different losses and if they add up, the person's vulnerability would be that much increased," she said.

Negrello said more education is needed to break down the silence around suicide. She would like to see more public discussion.

"We build strength that way," she said. "And then people know, who are feeling isolated and vulnerable, they see more options out there."

Grunau from the Centre for Suicide Prevention agrees. She said sudden changes are a warning sign for someonewith depression if they are suddenly happy, close down their active social media accounts or give away possessions.

"Have the courage to ask them directly:'Are you thinking of suicide?'" she said. "The worst thing that can happen is they laugh and sayno, which is embarrassing, but not a big deal."

She saidthey often see suicides peak in April which is around the time experts expect the severance packages from laid-off oilpatch workers to run out.

Anyone looking for help can contact the Calgary Distress Centre.