Suicide Prevention in Canada: Breaking Silence, Holding Hope

“ When you feel like giving up, just remember why you held on for so long.” - Haley Williams

If you are reading this, chances are that you or someone you love has been touched by suicide. Maybe you are carrying the weight of thoughts that feel too heavy to share. Maybe you are walking alongside a friend or family member who is struggling. Or maybe you are grieving the devastating loss of someone who has died by suicide. However you come to this page, I want to say this first: you are not alone.

Suicide is not just a statistic. It is deeply human. It is the aching silence at the dinner table, the heaviness behind someone’s smile, the absence that lingers long after someone is gone. For me, this is not just a professional matter; it's a personal one as well. As a counsellor who has both survived a suicide attempt and lost loved ones to suicide, I know how complicated, painful, and stigmatized this conversation can be. But I also know that silence isolates, and connection saves lives.

Why We Must Talk About Suicide

Suicide carries a weight of silence and misconception that keeps many from speaking their truth. Too often, it is whispered about in secret, avoided in conversation, or explained away with shame. But suicide is not about weakness or selfishness. Suicide is about unbearable pain.

When someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts, it doesn’t mean they truly want to die. More often, it means they desperately want the pain to stop, and they can’t see another way. It can feel like being swallowed by a darkness so thick you can’t see any way forward. Yet even in the deepest dark, light can return, sometimes faint at first, sometimes carried by the people who love us, until slowly, the path becomes visible again.

Warning Signs to Look For

Being aware of the warning signs can help someone get the support they need. Some signs may be subtle; others may be more obvious. They may include:

• Talking about feeling hopeless, trapped, or being a burden

• Withdrawing from friends, family, or activities once enjoyed

• Changes in sleep, appetite, or mood

• Giving away possessions, getting affairs in order, or saying goodbye

• Increased use of substances

• Sudden calmness after a period of deep distress

If you notice these signs, it doesn’t mean someone will attempt suicide, but it does mean they may be struggling and could use care, support, and connection.

If You Are Struggling

If you are carrying suicidal thoughts, I want you to know this: you are not broken. You are in pain, and that pain is valid. Suicidal thoughts do not define who you are; they are signals of suffering, not your identity.

I know that ache of wanting the hurt to end. I also know the quiet courage it takes to stay. Reaching out may feel impossible, but it is not weakness; it is strength. Your story is not over.

• Reach out to someone you trust — a friend, family member, counsellor, or crisis line.

• Create a safety plan — write down warning signs, coping strategies, and numbers you can call.

• Stay connected — isolation deepens despair; connection interrupts it.

• Hold onto hope, even if it’s small — sometimes hope is as simple as getting through the next five minutes.

If You Are Supporting Someone

If someone you care about is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you do not need to have all the answers. What they need most is presence, not perfection.

• Listen without judgment. Let them speak their truth, even if it’s hard to hear.

• Do not be afraid to ask questions. Ask if they are thinking of hurting themselves or of suicide. If they have hurt themselves before or if they have a plan. These questions will not make them decide to hurt themselves, come up with a plan, or bring on suicidal thoughts. These questions will open dialogue and help reduce the risk of them acting on their suicidal thoughts.

• Avoid minimizing their pain. Saying “it’s not that bad” or “you have so much to live for” may feel supportive, but it can deepen isolation. Instead, say: “I hear how much you’re hurting. I’m here with you.”

• Encourage professional help. Offer to help them connect with a counsellor, doctor, or crisis line.

• Check in consistently. A simple text, “thinking of you,” can remind someone they are not alone.

• Care for yourself, too. Supporting someone in crisis can be overwhelming. You deserve support and rest as well.

If You Are Grieving a Suicide Loss

When someone we love dies by suicide, the grief can feel unlike anything we’ve known. It can carry layers of guilt, shame, anger, confusion, and stigma. You may find yourself replaying conversations, searching for signs, asking “what if.” Please know this: their death is not your fault. Suicide is never the simple result of one conversation or one choice.

Your grief is real, valid, and deserving of compassion and understanding. Healing does not mean forgetting. Healing means learning to carry both the love and the loss in a way that honours your person and your own life. There are support groups and communities across Canada specifically for suicide loss survivors. Reaching out can be a step in reminding yourself: you don’t have to carry this alone.

Resources

If you’re struggling, please reach out. Help is here, and you deserve support.:

• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 988 or text 988 (available 24/7). https://988.ca/

• Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868 (available 24/7). https://kidshelpphone.ca/

• Hope for Wellness for all Indigenous people across Canada: Call 1-855-242-3310 or chat online at hopeforwellness.ca (available 24/7)

• Trans Lifeline Canada: 1-877-330-6366 (peer support for trans people, run by trans people) https://translifeline.org/

  
  

If you are grieving a suicide loss:

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP): suicideprevention.ca – resources and support groups

• Suicide Loss Support Groups (varies by province): Check local Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branches or CASP directory for groups near you

Closing

Suicide is complex. It is human. It is devastating. But it is not the end of hope. Whether you are the one struggling, the one supporting, or the one grieving, you do not have to walk this path alone.

Your presence matters. Your story matters. And your life is not over.

You are not broken. You are needed. Your becoming is not finished.

If this spoke to you, please reach out to a friend, to a professional, or to one of the resources above. Speaking it aloud is not a weakness; it is an act of courage, of survival, of love.