“Talking about suicide saves lives” is the theme of this year’s National Suicide Prevention Week, which begins on Sunday.
Quebec’s Association for the Prevention of Suicide director Jerome Gaudreault called on people to “break the silence” if one is having suicidal thoughts or if they or a loved one is suffering from depression.
According to data from the National Institute of Public Health, there were 1,128 suicides in Quebec in 2015.
Gaudreault said that with an average of three suicides per day, it’s necessary to step up collective efforts to stop these preventable deaths.
The current campaign is targeted especially among men aged 45 to 64, who are less likely to use traditional help resources and have the highest suicide rate.