Preventing suicide: When and how to help

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline.

Help is also available through Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) and the Hope for Wellness Help Line (1-855-242-3310).

When to get help

If someone is thinking or talking about suicide or death, or has a plan to end their life, it's important to seek help.

It's important to know that asking someone if they're thinking about suicide won't increase the risk. Asking can lead to important conversations.

Suicide is the result of many complex factors and these may be different from person to person. Although it's very difficult to predict who might end their life, signs and behaviours that suggest someone may need help include:

Feeling:

depressed
that they are a burden
like they have no purpose in life or reason for living
trapped or that there’s no other way out of a situation
hopeless about the future or like life will never get better

Behaviours such as:

being agitated
changing eating habits
changing sleeping habits
giving away their possessions
increasing substance use, like drugs, alcohol and inhalants
withdrawing from family, friends or activities they normally enjoy
saying goodbye or talking about what will happen after their death
anxiety or significant mood changes, such as anger, sadness or helplessness
talking about being a burden to someone or about being in unbearable pain
increasing high risk behaviours such as reckless driving, dangerous sports or activities

Getting help

There is help if you need to talk and you:

have emotional pain
are not feeling like yourself
know someone who needs help
are experiencing emotional distress

You can contact the following organizations:

9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline offers support that is:

bilingual
trauma-informed
culturally appropriate
available to anyone in Canada

Kids Help Phone

Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

Available 24 hours, 7 days a week a day to Canadians aged 5 to 29 who want confidential and anonymous care from professional counsellors.

Download the Always There app for additional support or access the Kids Help Phone website.

Hope for Wellness Help Line

Call 1-855-242-3310 (toll-free), connect to the online Hope for Wellness chat, or text WELLNESS to 741741. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Available to all Indigenous peoples across Canada who need immediate crisis intervention. Experienced and culturally-sensitive help line counsellors can help if you want to talk or are distressed.

Telephone and online counselling are available in English and French. On request, telephone counselling is also available in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.

How to help someone in emotional distress

Talking honestly, responsibly and safely about suicide can help you determine if someone needs help. If you want to help someone experiencing emotional distress, try:

connecting them with a:
- crisis line
- counsellor
- trusted person
letting them know you care
listening and showing concern
talking with them and reassuring them that they're not alone

For more information

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Date modified:: 2024-01-10

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