According to the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), suicide remains a critical global issue affecting individuals and communities worldwide. In an effort to address this issue and encourage positive change, the theme for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) from 2024 to 2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”.
Changing the narrative requires systemic change. It’s about shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness, understanding, and support. It means advocating for policies and legislation that prioritize mental health, increase access to care, and provide support for those in need. It means investing in research to better understand the complexities of suicide and develop evidence-based interventions.
A Focus on Young People
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed every year on the 10th of September to draw attention to this important public health issue globally and to disseminate the message that suicides are preventable. Established in 2003 by the IASP in conjunction with the World Health Organisation, the day aims to focus attention on the issue, reduce stigma, and raise awareness amongst organisations, government, and the public, giving the singular message that suicides are preventable.
This year, LifeLine International (LLI), in partnership with Befrienders Worldwide, International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services, International Council for Helplines, and Child Helpline International, have highlighted the need for supporting young people.
According to LLI, youth suicide rates are increasing in North America, Central and Southern America, Asia and Oceania. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29 years worldwide. Children and young people in every country and every community have a right to immediate support in times of despair. Children and young people in every country and every community have a right to immediate support in times of despair. They deserve to live their lives with support, understanding, and respect. Please read LLI’s full statement here.
If there is a young person, or anyone, in your life who you are worried about, we encourage you to explore our Suicide Prevention Toolkits created in partnership with the Delton Glebe Counselling Centre for our Clyde Mental Health and Addictions Awareness Project. We currently have five iterations available:
- Suicide Awareness and Prevention Toolkit
- Suicide Awareness and Prevention Toolkit for Youth
- Suicide Awareness and Prevention Toolkit for Educators
- Indigenous Focused Suicide Awareness and Prevention Toolkit
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Focused Suicide Awareness and Prevention Toolkit
The History of World Suicide Prevention Day
As shared above, World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was established in 2003 in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is a significant advocacy and communication based event aimed at reaching national organisations, governments and the general public, giving a singular message that suicide can be prevented. It continues to gain acknowledgement, with recent years seeing the day observed in more than 60 countries with hundreds of events ranging from educational and commemorative events to press briefings and public conferences. The internet and social media coverage have ensured millions of people around the world are linked to WSPD.
In IASP’s July 2003 newsletter, the then IASP President, Professor De Leo, announced to all IASP members:
‘This will be the day for all those people who have suffered because the worst of the human tragedies happened too close to them. This will be the day for governments to know that suicide must be a priority in their public health agenda. This will be the day for all people on the earth to recognise that suicide is an important problem, and if the World Health Organisation has decided to endorse this celebration it must mean that its dimension is huge, and that no one is immune from it. But this will also be the day for us, IASP members, who have dedicated and are dedicating our lives to avert suicide, and who, at the very least, have contributed to raise awareness, worldwide, on the size and stigma of this immense suffering’.
IASP, in collaboration with inter-government agencies, governments, NGOs, international and national associations, clinicians, researchers and volunteers use WSPD as an instrument to promote awareness about suicide and its prevention.
In a press released on 10 September 2003, Professor De Leo went on to say:
‘World Suicide Prevention Day aims to put the issue on the agenda globally and regionally, but it also seeks to show that action must be taken locally – and this action starts with you and me. The Day underlines the responsibility for all of us to help save lives that may be at stake. It is possible – we can do it.’
Why World Suicide Prevention Day is Still Relevant
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) website states that more than 720,000 people die by suicide every year. Additionally, for each recorded suicide, there are an estimated 20 suicide attempts.
Suicide can occur at any stage of life and in all regions of the world. In 2021, suicide was the third leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds globally, and 73% of all suicides happened in low- and middle-income countries. Almost 20% of global suicides were due to pesticide self-poisoning.
While the link between suicide and mental health conditions (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) and a previous suicide attempt is well established in high-income countries, many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis. Further risk factors for suicide include experience of loss, loneliness, discrimination, relationship dispute, financial problems, chronic pain and illness, violence, abuse, and conflict or other humanitarian emergencies.
Closer to home, the government of Canada shares that approximately 4,500 people in Canada die by suicide each year, which is equivalent to 12 people dying by suicide every day. A further 200 people in Canada attempt suicide each day. For every death by suicide, at least 7 to 10 loved ones are significantly affected by the loss.
In Canada, the following groups have higher rates or risk for suicide:
- men and boys
- people serving federal sentences
- survivors of suicide loss and survivors of a suicide attempt
- some First Nation and Métis communities, especially among youth (you can learn more about Indigenous Youth mental health on a previous blog post)
- people who live in Inuit regions in Canada
In addition, women have higher rates of self-harm which can be a risk factor for suicide. Thoughts of suicide and suicide-related behaviours are also more frequent among 2SLGBTQI+ youth in comparison to their non-LGBTQ peers. The following infographic from Public Health Agency of Canada tells us more about suicidality in our country.
Suicide Prevention Programs Across the Globe
Recently, on the DCO Discourse… podcast, we explored four programs focused on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention to highlight the importance of awareness days like World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD).
- International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) – https://www.iasp.info/
- Beyond spearheading WSPD, the International Association for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to preventing suicide and suicidal behaviour and alleviating its effects. IASP leads the global role in suicide prevention by strategically developing an effective forum that is proactive in creating strong collaborative partnerships and promoting evidence-based action in order to reduce the incidence of suicide and suicidal behaviour.
- Over the last 15 years IASP has prepared and advanced a vibrant strategy that reflected and targeted current needs of addressing suicidal behaviour and its prevention across the globe. By incorporating an external evaluation and carefully listening to the membership and partners, their Board embarked on a strategic process to formulate organisational direction for 2024 – 2028 that reflects the growing need to reduce suicides. Their aim: To utilise collectively our expertise and knowledge in order to empower effective suicide prevention throughout the world.
- Sri Lanka’s National Pesticide Ban – https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2822024
- Sri Lanka is a country where agriculture is a vital part of the economy, including major crops like rice, vegetables, and fruits, as well as tea and coconuts. Needless to say, farming is an important part of their labour force, with approximately 28% of Sri Lanka’s population working on farms. Compare that number to the 1.6% in Canada currently, and you can see the massive difference in our labour forces.
- What comes along with farming in the 20th and 21st century? Pesticides. While many pesticides are safe, in lower-middle income countries there’s a higher number of toxic pesticides used to account for the huge impact of the agricultural yield on the economy. However, in the early 1980s in Sri Lanka, they noticed a problem. A large number of hospitalizations were reported due to accidental, and deliberate, poisoning from pesticides. At the height of this issue, pesticide poising accounted for more than 67% of all suicides nationally.
- In response to this, from late 1995 to 2011 the Sri Lankan Government banned 36 highly hazardous pesticides, leading to a 70% drop in the annual suicide rate by 2016 (and a huge reduction in accidental poisonings) leading to over 93,000 lives saved. Sri Lanka has also implemented supportive policies, like Sri Lanka Sumithrayo, a government approved charity founded in 1974.
- Buddy up: Men’s suicide prevention campaign – https://www.buddyup.ca/
- Buddy Up is a men’s suicide prevention communications campaign headed by the Centre for Suicide Prevention. It is a call to action for men, by men. In Canada, men have a suicide rate three times higher than women. Further, men are underserved by our traditional health and social service sectors. Men are dying in alarming numbers, all around us, alone. Buddy Up asked, how can we change this reality?
- In 2016, the Centre for Suicide Prevention knew why men’s suicide was an issue but did not know how to reach men and prevent it from happening. They scoured the research and examined many men’s mental health programs from around the world. Next, they hosted a men’s breakfast where 60 men came together and engaged with a male facilitator to share what worked, what did not, and what was going on in their worlds. From there, they struck a majority-male advisory committee that guided the project, as well as all-male focus groups that tested our work as we went along. Since then, they’ve established a Buddy Up research committee, grounding the campaign in suicide prevention and messaging research.
- The men Buddy Up heard from shared that they needed to know how to recognize a buddy who may be struggling, and how to help. They discussed how to start a conversation and how to keep it going, and how hard that really is. They also said it needed to be as easy as possible to promote the overall message. Possibly even fun. The advisory group developed practical, real conversation starters, like, “Hey Amir, how are you really doing?”. Then they identified specific mechanisms to get the message across, like branded air fresheners and stickers. Through this input, the Buddy Up campaign was born and launched in spring of 2020.
- Roots of Hope: A Community Suicide Prevention Model – https://www.rootsofhope.ca/
- Roots of Hope, a national suicide prevention initiative started by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, is a multi-site community led model that aims to reduce the impact of suicide within communities across Canada. The approach has 5 pillars: training and networks, public awareness, specialized supports, research and evaluation, and means safety, which involves identifying the methods that people use or the places where a high number of suicides occur.
- This program does a great job of “thinking local”. Every time they go into a new region, they do a tremendous amount of tailoring to the region. They even help train local physicians on symptoms that may be associated with suicide. The program places high emphasis on community members, people with lived experience, and leaders in the sector to make change around Canada.
You can learn more about each of these programs by listening to the full episode at https://dcontario.fireside.fm/349.
Additional Resources and Support
Our website resource database includes many supports related to suicidality and suicide loss. The following information, plus more, can also be found at https://www.dcontario.org/suicidality-and-suicide-loss/.
- Ontario Suicide Prevention Roundtable – www.SuicidePreventionOntario.ca
- Mental Health Commission of Canada – www.MentalHealthCommission.ca
- Heartache2Hope – https://heartache2hope.com/
- Suicide Prevention Ottawa – www.SuicidePreventionOttawa.ca
Further resources and support services can be found in the toolkits listed above.
DCO’s World Suicide Prevention Day Livestream
As a part of the campaign for World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) 2024-2026, IASP has issued a call to action: “Start the Conversation.” This call encourages individuals, communities, organizations, and governments to engage in open, honest discussions about mental health and suicide. By starting conversations, we can break down barriers and raise awareness, check in with a friend or loved one, share personal stories and advocate for mental health resources and support services. Every conversation, no matter how small, contributes to a more supportive and responsive society.
We hope you will join us this evening on our Facebook page for a live event as we add our voice to the conversation and shine a light on breaking the stigma in suicide prevention and substance use. Guest speaker, Rachel P, will be sharing her lived experience with substance use and loss. We will be live from 7:45 to 8:45 PM EST at the link below.
You can also visit the events page on our website to learn more.
References
DCO Discourse… (8 September, 2025). On Suicide Prevention: 4 Programs that are Saving Lives. https://dcontario.fireside.fm/349
International Association for Suicide Prevention (n.d.). About WSPD. https://www.iasp.info/wspd/about/
International Association for Suicide Prevention (n.d.). World Suicide Prevention Day 2025. https://www.iasp.info/wspd/
LifeLine International (10 September, 2025). World Suicide Prevention Day 2025: Change the Narrative. Insert link
Public Health Agency of Canada (16 September, 2024). Suicide in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention/suicide-canada.html
Public Health Agency of Canada (9 January, 2023). Suicide in Canada: Key statistics (infographic). https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/suicide-canada-key-statistics-infographic.html
World Health Organisation (n.d.). Suicide prevention. https://www.who.int/health-topics/suicide#tab=tab_1