WARNING: This article deals with suicide and may not be appropriate for all readers.
Vancouver Island Crisis Society is recognizing this year's World Suicide Prevention Day with training workshops, as it continues to offer support for those who are suffering from suicidal ideations or who have lost a loved one.
World Suicide Prevention Day takes place Wednesday, Sept. 10. From 2024-26, the theme is 'changing the narrative,' which Neil Cutler, Vancouver Island Crisis Society's community awareness coordinator, says refers to moving away from the idea that suicide is weakness and understanding it's about pain and a lack of human connection.
"Destigmatization isn't enough … what we really should be working towards is an understanding and what they mean by that is it starts by talking more openly about suicide and shifting to how we understand that it's the pain that's underneath it," Cutler said. "That is actually the thing that is encouraging someone to have thoughts of suicide."
He said there is currently a narrative that suicide is linked to specific situations or demographics, where in reality, if circumstances change for the worse in anyone's life they could develop suicidal ideation.
"This could be anyone, that's one of the things we're trying to raise awareness to."
In Nanaimo, V.I. Crisis Society is holding applied suicide intervention skills training workshops. While the first round, on Sept. 11-12, is fully booked, a second workshop will be held Oct. 16-17. These workshops, designed by LivingWorks, a suicide prevention and intervention training company, serve to teach participants so that they may be able to intervene when someone is having thoughts of suicide.
Cutler said that supporting someone can be more about helping them in an overwhelming crisis, that it could be offering them human connection before it gets to that point.
"Notice it, that's the first one. Notice it if somebody might not be having a great day, and notice it if their gut might be telling them something is deeper than that. The willingness to be there for support, to recognize and to acknowledge that, 'wow, it's looking like you're having a tough day' … Having space, if it's within you, to be able to notice that and be able to directly check in."
People struggling with thoughts of suicide are asked to call 988 or 1-888-494-3888 to speak with someone with V.I. Crisis 24/7. For those who prefer texting, they can text 988 anytime, day or night.
Suicide bereavement support is also available for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, with a monthly virtual support group or one-on-one lay counselling via voice, online or in person. Individuals can find out more at www.vicrisis.ca/suicide-bereavement-support.
"Unfortunately suicide can feel very different of a loss and getting that help, having that support can really help people who have experienced this loss to know they are not alone, that there's other people who understand," Cutler said.
For more information about the applied suicide intervention skills training workshops, visit www.vicrisis.ca.
