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Suicide awareness and prevention

Take care of yourself

Engaging in materials around suicide can be difficult and may bring up distressing thoughts or emotional reactions. It's okay to pause or take a break. Take care of yourselves both during and after reading through the following material. If you need, reach out to a friend, family member or trusted professional. Find support resources here.

Table of contents

You might be coming to this information for various reasons, you may be coming here to support yourself or you might be coming here to support someone else. That's why this page has a number of resources and pieces of information. Continue scrolling or jump to any section using the following links.

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  • Experiencing thoughts of suicide
  • Recovering from suicidal thoughts and behaviours
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  • What role can I play?
  • Warning signs and risk factors
  • How to provide support
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  • UCalgary Suicide Awareness and Prevention Framework
  • Community resources and referrals
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To better support your needs, please select any of the following options:

You might be coming to this information for various reasons, you may be coming here to support yourself or you might be coming here to support someone else. That's why this webpage has a number of resources and pieces of information. Continue scrolling or jump to any section using the following links.

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Learn general information about suicide

Learn more about suicide statistics, myths and facts about suicide, stigma around suicide, and more.

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I need support

Click here if you may be experiencing thoughts of suicide and looking for support

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I want to help

View more about how you can provide support, what role you can play, and observing any warning signs and risk factors.

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You are not alone

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviours or a mental health crisis, know that you are not alone and there are many supports and caring individuals available to assist you. If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, call or text 9-8-8. 

When someone contacts 9-8-8, you’ll be connected with a highly trained responder who will listen with compassion, give you space to talk, and explore ways to keep you safe in the moment and help you find a path forward.

Statistics about suicide

While statistics can help provide context, inform policy and programming, and bring awareness to suicide, it's important to remember the lives behind these numbers. Every life lost to suicide was valued. Every life is missed, grieved and felt by individuals, families, friends and communities.

1 in 20, or 5% of the Canadian population, experienced some sort of suicide ideation in the last year. 

While suicide deaths remain underreported, it's estimated that more than 3,500 people died by suicide in Canada in 2022, equivalent to 9.2 per 100,000 of the population. Rates of suicide had been steadily increasing since 2012, however there has been a general trend downward since 2019, which is promising. 

Rates in Alberta are higher than the national average, in 2022 coming in at 11.7 per 100,000.

50% of all Emergency Department visits for suicide attempts or self-harm were made by youth ages 0-24.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 15-24, which is one of the reasons why we have suicide prevention trainings on post-secondary campuses.

One of the reasons this age group is at a higher risk is because this is a period of transition with high levels of stress for many people, moving away from home, changing social supports and health care access, new jobs, relationships, responsibilities and environments.

3 out of 4 (75%) suicide deaths are male. 

Although women attempt suicide three times more than men, men complete or die by suicide far more often. The reason is because of the lethality of means or method used. 

Likely another reason is because of gender socialization. There is perceived added shame and stigma for men when seeking help or being open about mental health struggles.

Members of vulnerable groups are at a much higher risk of suicide than the general population. 63-67% of LGBTQ2S+ youth, ages 15-24, report thoughts about suicide, and suicide is five-six times higher for Indigenous youth than non-Indigenous youth.

Myths and facts about suicide*

*It's important to recognize these myths so they don't stop us from asking a question or intervening.

Asking about suicide

Myth: Asking a person about suicide could put the idea in their head and increase risk.

Fact: Talking about suicide is a key part of suicide prevention. Asking the question can reduce risk by starting the conversation and showing that we care and want to help.

Research has shown that asking about suicide does not increase the risk. In fact, it often lowers anxiety and increases hope by giving the person the opportunity to talk openly, explore other options, and seek help. Most people experiencing thoughts of suicide want to live but are unable to see alternatives to coping with problems that are causing them unbearable psychological distress. 

People experiencing thoughts of suicide often do not know who to talk to, and stigma can prevent them from telling anyone. By being the one to ask the question, you are letting them know that you are a safe, supportive person they can talk about suicide with.

Expressing suicidal thoughts

Myth: Most deaths by suicide happen without any warning.

Fact: The majority of deaths by suicide have warning signs, however what signs look like can vary.

Research has shown that many people do show warning signs that communicate their thoughts about suicide. These could be direct (e.g. expressing thoughts of suicide) or indirect (e.g. changes in behavior, indirect verbal statements, emotions). Warning signs can look different for different people, and suicide typically cannot be predicted from warning signs alone. Rather, signs and behaviors can indicate someone needs help and prompt us to start a conversation about suicide and ask the question to explore this further. 

Important to note: Sometimes warning signs can be difficult to pick up on, and not all deaths by suicide have warnings. As helpers, we may experience guilt for missing signs. Know we are doing the best we can with the information we have, which is sometimes limited. 

Who can help

Myth: Only professionals can provide effective support to individuals experiencing thoughts of suicide.

Fact: Community members (e.g. friends, family, peers, colleagues, managers, staff/faculty) are likely to receive disclosures of suicide due to the regular contact they have with those in their community. They have an important role in providing support.

Providing helpful support to someone experiencing thoughts of suicide does not require that you be an expert or a professional. As a helper, it is important to remember that while we cannot solve or fix the problems that are contributing to someone’s thoughts of suicide, we can provide a space for active listening and empathy, which can help the person feel less alone and increase hope. Helpers can also play a vital role in keeping the person safe in the moment and connecting them to resources where they can get further support. 

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Fact: The majority of people who are suicidal are ambivalent

Suicidal thoughts are complex and are not black and white. They can exist along a continuum and many people go back and forth about their decision up until the point of the act. People experiencing thoughts of suicide typically waiver on their decision as often a part of them wants to die, but a part of them also wants to live, and they likely have reasons swaying them both ways.

Stigma and suicide

Stigma can play a big role in the silence that can exist around suicide. It can prevent both those experiencing thoughts, as well as those impacted by a death by suicide, from talking about suicide and getting the support they need. 

One important way that we can work to breakdown stigma is to change the language we use when talking about suicide, as many common words and phrases are stigmatizing. The push for changes in language originally came from the bereavement community, who expressed the impacts as well as absence of common language and open conversation around suicide. 

By avoiding and replacing common terms that contribute to stigma we can create more open and compassionate dialogue around suicide. 

Avoid…Instead…
"Committed suicide" (references a crime, judgemental) or "successful suicide" (positive connotation)"Died by suicide" (neutral, non-judgemental)
"Failed suicide attempt" (negative connotation that the person has ‘failed’)"Suicidal action" or "non-fatal suicide attempt" (neutral)
Ignoring someone struggling with suicidal thoughts or who has lost someone to suicideProviding support by checking in, asking open ended questions to provide them with space 
to talk about what they are experiencing (if they wish) and actively listening

Other ways we can combat stigma

Learn from others

Seek out educational opportunities and resources that feature stories of those who have experienced thoughts of suicide or lost a loved one. Hearing personal lived experience is shown to be a powerful way to learn and reduce stigma. 

Promote help-seeking

For example, share mental health resources and normalize reaching out for support. 

Raise awareness

Remember that suicide prevention takes a community. Seek out opportunities to get involved, such as through the Reach Out Suicide Awareness & Education Project.

Supporting ourselves

It is natural to have a variety of emotional reactions when we are concerned that someone may be having thoughts of suicide. It is common to feel confused, shocked, guilty, or scared. We may feel reluctant to start a conversation about suicide because we are unsure how to approach it, we don’t know what to say, or we feel worried about their reaction or their response. 

It is important to recognize these emotions, so they don't prevent us from checking in with someone about suicide. Remember, asking the question will not cause someone to think about suicide, and is an important part of suicide prevention. The person who is experiencing thoughts of suicide is likely worried about disclosing. By checking in, we show them we are a safe person to talk to.

You are not alone.

As the person providing support, there are a variety of other supports and resources that we can lean on ourselves. These resources not only help those experiencing thoughts of suicide, they also support those in helping roles. 

Community resources and referrals

There are a variety of on and off-campus resources that can provide further support to someone thinking about thoughts of suicide. 

In emergency situations, where there is an indication of imminent harm (for instance, the person has disclosed that they are going to act on their thoughts of suicide very soon), emergency resources are required, such as 911 or Campus Security (403-220-5333). 

In situations where there is not an indication of imminent harm, although urgent support is required, resources could include: 

UCalgary Students

UCalgary Faculty and Staff

Community resources available to all

We would like to extend a special thank you to Student Wellness Services, Brittany Lindsay (B.A. Honours, B.Sc., M.Sc. Department of Psychology, University of Calgary), Arianna Gibson (B.A., PhD student, Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan) and Monique Chen (B.Sc., research assistant, Department of Social Work, University of Calgary) for their contributions to the content of this webpage.

UCalgary's Suicide Awareness and Prevention Framework

Developed in collaboration with UCalgary's Community Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy, and in community partnership with Calgary’s Centre for Suicide Prevention, and the Distress Centre, the framework was launched in 2020 as a long-term system-wide transformation, working together to prevent all student suicides. The foundational belief of the Framework is that suicide deaths for individuals under the care of health systems are preventable. UCalgary aspires towards long-term system-wide transformation toward safer suicide care for our students using the Framework's seven key goals.

View prevention trainings