Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, medical officer of health for Chatham-Kent, offered a message to people struggling with mental health: There are supports available for you.
But he admits more can be done, especially for those contemplating taking their own lives.
Nesathurai, in speaking to the Board of Health on Sept. 21, said it is a tough subject to discuss.
“Suicide is a difficult thing to talk about. Mental illness is stigmatized; substance use is stigmatized; and suicide is profoundly stigmatized,” he said.
It is something that should be addressed more openly, Nesathurai said.
About 1,500 people died by suicide in Ontario over the past year, compared to about 600 who perished in car accidents.
Here in Chatham-Kent, Public Health numbers indicated about 150 people died by suicide over the past decade.
“Death by suicide is preventable,” Nesathurai said. “There is no reason anyone needs to die by suicide.
“What is needed is more robust mental health supports,” he added, quoting Dr. Mark Sinyor, a psychiatrist with Sunnybrook Medical Centre in Toronto and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
Nesathurai said those struggling must be reminded they have a place in this world.
“They matter, they are loved, and the world would be a lesser place without them,” he said.
However, not everyone shows signs of struggling.
“There are some people who interact with the health-care system who ultimately succumb to death by suicide, and then there are a number of people who give no indication they were struggling with any issue before they took their life,” he said.
Supports in place for those contemplating suicide include calling 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline that is staffed 24/7, or the Be Safe app where people can also find support in crisis.
It’s crucial to have these supports available, Nesathurai said.
“For people who contemplate suicide, the time between the initial decision to make the attempt to the action can be minutes or hours,” he said. “Thwarting the immediate opportunity will reduce the chance.”
