Canadian Research and Knowledge Translation Agenda on Suicide

Does an educational program aimed at increasing mental health awareness and reducing stigma reduce suicide risk for youth?

Can we design a safe and effective school-based suicide awareness program for youth aged 13-14 years.

The research is mixed about the safety and efficacy of school-based suicide awareness and response programming. While some have researched the cost-effectiveness of school based awareness programs and if these programs were shown to reduce suicide (a difficult measure to obtain) most of these types of programs aim to create awareness about warning signs for suicide and how to respond in a hopeful and helpful way, linking those at risk to trusted resources and supports.

How can those with lived experience be meaningfully engaged within suicide prevention and/or stigma reduction efforts?

Those with lived experience, such as suicide attempt survivors, suicide loss survivors, those with chronic suicide ideations, and/or those who care for them, are not always engaged in a meaningful way within suicide prevention efforts. They may be represented on councils or boards, but can be tokenised in this context and their knowledge may not be valued as highly as the clinical, academic knowledge shared at these tables. Additionally, when looking at stigma reduction efforts, celebrities who have experienced mental health experience are often sensationalized and used as an example of hope when often they are highly unrelatable. Many people with lived experience of suicidality may be lower income or without a permanent home or stable job, and may find that their intersectionality within multiple stigmatized populations has potential to give them less hope, not more, when they see examples of the rich and famous who have had the resources to support them in their healing journey. Those with lived experience have strong, passionate, knowledgeable voices. We should investigate how these voice would like to be meaningfully engaged within suicide prevention, stigma reduction, and suicidology research - and follow-up on the research findings by providing opportunities for this engagement to occur. This will engage a valuable perspective within suicide prevention work that will overall strengthen the validity and sincerity of suicide prevention within Canada.

What can government do to make a meaningful difference in order to help people contemplating suicide

Identify shortcomings in front line staff that deal with suicide so government can put $'s where they can make a difference.

Why are the number of male suicides highest between the ages of 45-59?

Male mid-life can be deadly

Accessible documents that allow for various populations to access research findings and implement their suggestions

There is always a gap in time between the creation of knowledge and the implementation of that knowledge. This gap may be in part due to the difficulty of access to research findings by those outside of academic circles. Relevant research findings should not be available only to those with paid access to peer-reviewed journal articles or the ability to attend conferences. A knowledge transfer plan for suicide research findings should include free public access to information in various forms, such as online materials and print materials in accessible language. By working together to close the knowledge transfer gap, we can quicken the uptake of new, evidence-based practices, and overall improve the ability of communities at large to strengthen suicide prevention efforts.

All mediums in easy to comprehend language

It's not the medium that needs to change it's the language so that all walks of life can understand, get rid of the medical language so the 90% of the population can be educated

Hit me with some TED talks with a small smattering of peer-reviewed articles, easily digestible information with a lot of meat

One page, easy to read summary of research findings and impact on practice and/or behaviour

Traditional means of communication are great if you know how to access them and have the time to do so. Front-line practitioners and members of the public are usually lacking at least one of these requirements. Make it simple, in language that someone outside of health care can understand.

Educational material and fact sheets