CALGARY- Each year, suicide claims the lives of over 500 people in Alberta.
It’s the leading cause of injury deaths, making up for just under a third of injury deaths.
On Saturday in Calgary at the ‘Survivors of Suicide’ event, survivors came to express their painful stories.
“He was such a happy person we never expected something like this to happen,” a young woman said.
They showed that the city has a long way to go to reduce the shame and guilt associated with deaths by suicide.
“I will never forget the guilt and shame I felt and I still feel today,” one man said.
Each background, age and circumstance was so different, yet every family share the same emotions.
“He was on medication, he was taking therapy, he was released and about a month later he killed himself. He didn’t leave a note,” Clem Martini said.
Clem Martini’s brother Ben died by suicide shortly after he graduated from Bowness High School. It changed the entire family.
“My dad thought talking about suicide and talking about mental illness was a big mistake. He thought of mental illness as a failure too, failure of the family, the worst kind of failure and to be kept secret,” Martini said.
That was 45 years ago. Recently, Clem has written a book about his family’s experience.
The U of C professor says attitudes have changed to a degree since Ben’s death but he says we have long way to go.
“That feeling of something that’s intensely private. That feeling of somebody is at fault. It’s not an illness it’s a failure. That stuff still exists. It’s a very complicated situation, it’s hard to solve that requires a lot of talking,” Martini said.
Organizers say high profile suicides, like actor Robin Williams, highlights the lack of education around suicide and why it happens.
“What’s positive about those kinds of deaths which obviously a death isn’t positive but what is positive is that it raises the conversation. Whether it’s an accurate or not at least it’s being talked about and gives opportunity to educate and correct if need be,” Ashley Kascak from Canadian Mental Health Association said.
It’s estimated that 90% of people who died by suicide were experiencing a mental health problem or illness. The causes of suicide are complex, as is the grieving for those left behind searching for answers they may never find.
In September, the World Health Organization released its first report on suicide prevention, calling on coordinated action to reduce suicides worldwide.
In Alberta, suicide claims more lives annually than other more openly discussed issues like motor vehicle crashes.
Alberta typically has a higher rate of suicide than the national average.
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