Toolkit for people who have been impacted by a suicide attempt

What it is

The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, the Centre for Suicide Prevention, the Public Health Agency of Canada, along with an Advisory Committee comprised of people with lived experience related to suicide, have developed toolkits to support people who have been impacted by suicide. One toolkit is tailored for people who have attempted suicide, and the other is focused on resources for people who have lost someone to suicide.

In the summer of 2017, we conducted an online survey to elicit feedback from people who have been affected by suicide. With over 1,000 responses, the survey helped us gain a better understanding of what topics, content areas, resources, and information were important to include in the toolkits.

The content

There is no right or wrong way to seek help. This toolkit is not designed to be an exhaustive list of the very wide variety of resources available across Canada for support. This toolkit is a summary of the tools that have resonated most with the hundreds of people who completed our online survey and resources from a literature review completed by the Centre for Suicide Prevention.

If you are not finding the tools and resources that resonate most with you, you may consider talking with someone. You may wish to connect with a trained volunteer by contacting your local distress centre or Kids Help Phone.

Language

Many respondents indicated a preference for “people-first” language as opposed to “survivorship language”. For this reason, we sought to avoid this language within the toolkit. That said, survivorship language resonates with many and therefore, we included links to resources that use this language. Please note that the toolkits are not intended to replace a conversation. If you or someone you know is experiencing distressing thoughts or thoughts of suicide, please contact your local distress centre or Kids Help Phone.