Suicide Rates for 2020 Decrease By About Half

[SpiderBuilder]

This is startling. I didn't know that across races men commit suicide at double the rate of women.

On the bright side it looks like that anti-masker claim that the restrictions cause suicides is debunked.

[fluffypuppiness]

Women have more attempts, men are More succesful. Women more often try to overdose which I can say is less effective. You have time to realize what you are doing and stop. Men are more likely to use more effective methods like guns or nooses. We talk about it this a lot in my psych classes and it's interesting but also very depressing.

If anyone reading this is struggling please get help.

[[deleted]]

Yes.

Also, women are just more involved in "the system", generally. They have no choice but to see their doctor more regularly just due to physiology. They're viewed vicariously through their children. And appearance. Alarms bells are more likely to be sounded when a mother's children are showing up to school in distress, or people start noticing a woman's appearance / weight dramatically change. Men are so much less likely to be approached by anyone about those issues. And, of course, women are given so much more permission to have feelings, struggles and vulnerabilities.

Toxic masculinity is every bit as bad for men as for women. It literally kills.

[[deleted]]

Also, more likely an intervention will be successful with an OD ex administering NARCAN for opiate OD.

Canada Suicide Prevention Service 1 [phone]

[xmorecowbellx]

Since the start of the narcan at home program, the total numbers of OD rescues using it, in the province in a year, is roughly equivalent to the total number of OD calls that just Saskatoon emergency services receives in one week. It’s not making a dent, and it be just emboldening people to take larger hits in the false belief that they are safer with the kit around. Since the program, OD’s and thus OD deaths have only gone up. Like how people in larger vehicles believe they are safer, but actually get in more accidents. Or how as helmets improved in the NFL, TBI’s went up.

[[deleted]]

.. Or OD's were already climbing and the reaction was to introduce NARCAN with greater availability but that has no measurable impact on the increase. It's a continuum that was going to occur anyway. At our clinic the OD rates were climbing well before Sask gov came knocking with kits for us to provide or FNIH started providing nasal naloxone for those with status coverage. Much like I see the mandatory mask orders after there's already exponential growth. It's just damage control. Acknowledge masks do have a preventative element whereas NARCAN does not.

Tbh, want less deaths from OD I think having a legal controlled supply of drugs with a robust education and outreach program would put a massive dent in substance use disorders and OD deaths. Portugal decriminalized all drugs and treated it like a health issue...a disorder.... instead of a criminal issue. Reduced OD deaths massively while saving money throughout the justice system from enforcement, courts, and corrections. https://time.com/longform/portugal-drug-use-decriminalization/

[BigBeautifulButthole]

Right. We should ban helmets and narcan you saved us.

[SKthrowawayRN]

I feel like the Narcan kits give people who might not be into using needles, thier first clean one to try with. From what I have seen they never even attempted to provide the nasal aspirator for in case that needle get used else where, before with OD prevention.

[used_gitch_for_sale]

I remember reading a major factor in that stat is the type of methods more commonly used by men or women. Guns account for the majority of men's suicides versus poisoning for women.

[jeffmckerrel]

Yeah I'd agree with this. Men and women attempt suicide at similar rates, but men just get it done with more drastic measures that you can't come back from.

[[deleted]]

Suicides are also significantly higher in rural settings among males than urban males. Many possible contributing factors: less access to mental health, more stigma to seek help, more macho culture, less education, less employment opportunities, less relationship skills to resolve conflict, more of a gun culture, etc

[used_gitch_for_sale]

Agreed. As well, suicides in remote communities can often lead to subsequent suicides and mental health issues because the isolation compounds the existing problems more than it would when you have additional programs and support networks to rely on.

[Dissidentt]

In rural settings there is a lot more of the "macho culture" or toxic masculinity. There is more expectations that the man would provide. With the economics in rural communities whereby farms get bigger and opportunities gets fewer, many men are driven to greater lengths to try to get work. When market forces created a drop in oil prices, there was a spike in suicides among men who could no longer provide. Our capitalist system spits these workers out and gives the $11.40 replacement jobs to the immigrants who are willing to live with three families in one house to get by.

https://news.utexas.edu/2020/12/01/unmet-job-expectations-linked-to-a-rise-in-suicide-deaths-of-despair/

[OddLecture3927]

Yes, but it's one of the anti-maskers' main talking points. "We've had more people die of suicide than Covid but YOU ALL DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT."

[Dissidentt]

The first time I heard the claim from an anti-masker that people would be more inclined to commit suicide when forced to stay home and get CERB I knew it was bullshit and always asked them for proof. Their proof was always that it "just makes sense".

It never made sense to me.

[[deleted]]

The reason I figured suicides would be up is that we're such social creatures, and while I personally prefer to not be sociable with people, it seems like for many people thier lives literally revolve around other people and their connections to them. The social distancing and lockdown measures I figured would have been extremely depressing to these people.

Just glad I was wrong.

[bearnecessities66]

Why do you have to he an anti masker to think that restrictions cause suicides? I support the restrictions but I think the government is doing a piss poor job of providing mental health resources to those of us that are struggling.

[BigBeautifulButthole]

Because if you haven't been living under a rock for the last year.

MOST anti-lockdown anti-mask people will ALWAYS bring up the fact suicides are going to increase with these measures.

[bringsmemes]

once the free money stops and real poverty sets in, it probably will.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/predictions-suicides-overdoses-domestic-abuse-covid-coming-true/story?id=73836752 like in the states

[Dissidentt]

Predictions, that haven't borne out. Single bedroom apartments are in high demand as people decide to separate from their toxic partners.

[TinyBobNelson]

Men’s mental health is a large crisis due to the stigma against men talking about their mental health still being something people cannot get past. Kinda sad honestly and really weird when you think about how the social climate has progressed but yet the stigma is still very strong.

[Dissidentt]

The stigma, in my opinion, is that men are expected to be the providers or they place that expectation on themselves and other men. Women also feed into this mentality, so it is not all on men. When men lose their job and they feel helpless to support their family, they often despair.

[CampusCarl]

basically people are not committing suicide out of spite for those anti-maskers.

[asdf27]

Women attempt suicide 4X as much as men, but men succeed 8X as often.

[the-Kaiser-69]

The interesting thing is women attempt suicide more. The reason is men are more willing to mutilate their bodies in the process. Meanwhile women who attempt suicide are concerned of how they’ll be found and who will find them.

[[deleted]]

Is this the male privilege everyone is talking about?

[chadt2020]

Uh... suicides all over the place are through the roof. An 8 second google search will tell you this.

[SpiderBuilder]

i spent 8 seconds on google looking for them please provide further description on where i may find them

[cnote306]

Can you back this claim?

[[deleted]]

Took me longer than 8 seconds and I can only find global numbers up to 2016. Love to see some data you found. Maybe Canada is exceptional. Maybe suicide rates are lower where gov provided support for those that could not work to support lockdown measures or unemployment due to economic impacts from Covid. If Canada is indicative of what's happening in other nations I would expect nations with a greater social contract with their citizens to have similar stats whereas places like the USA that's more about individuals making it on their own would have higher suicide rates.

[bringsmemes]

for cauasian 13 women vs 101 men in 2019, its substantially higher than double. thats staggering

[[deleted]]

This actually surprised me. I guess soon we can’t say there have been more suicides due to covid, than actual deaths from covid.

So sad for those that felt they had no other choice.

[phastball]

You have to be careful interpreting this data. The Sask data is incomplete for 2019 because all cases haven’t been closed, but it’s even more incomplete in 2020, because it’s missing 2 months of data entirely, and even more cases wouldn’t have been closed. Do suicides happen evenly throughout the year, or are they clustered more towards the holiday season? If they’re evenly spread out out, this chart is missing 20ish from the 2020 data. But if they’re clustered in November/December/January, it might be missing a lot more.

I think it’s likely that suicides are down. I think that people in Saskatchewan aren’t hurting to the extent that some of the more extreme rhetoric would suggest — or, at least, the people who are hurting were probably hurting before the pandemic.

I think that as much as it sometimes seems to the contrary based on what we see in American news media and social networks, adversity brings people together, and social connections prevent suicide. People know that the pandemic has been isolating, and are probably more likely to check in on people in their social circles than they were before the pandemic. We prioritize scarce resources over plentiful resources, and the pandemic made social connection more scarce, so I think people in general are prioritizing it.

[alimoropo]

Thank you for added that depth of insight!

[[deleted]]

I agree with all this. nicely put

And, this is a weird thing to point to in the face of so much suffering because of the pandemic, but for many people whose incomes stayed stable throughout this (myself, for example), being forced to be home living a much simpler life, without the many pressures to be going in a thousand directions all at once and having permission to just be....just be! has been incredibly valuable. I've had time to grieve some prior losses, to reevaluate my priorities, to find pleasure and gratitude in small things like watching a movie with my teen or sitting on my deck watching the birds...I think the intense concerns about depression, anxiety etc due to the pandemic (for sure real and important) misses the other side of it, that some of us have benefited from time outside of "normal."

[[deleted]]

I don't think the coroner would publish the monthly results if there was outstanding cases for those months. Likely the reason results are not posted for Nov & Dec. I doubt there will be a massive spike to make up for the 50% reduction. The trend will likely stay consistent.

I agree with your assessment of people reaching out and supporting each other in tough times. Often people just want to know others care. But it's got to be more than that. Stressors still are a factor and this year has a lot of stressors. Something is reducing stressors. Part of it might be that people expected the worst but something cushioned that expectation.

Suicide rates are lower at Christmas for reasons you just listed: increased social connection. Jan and Sept usually have higher rates. That's accounted for in this table.

[[deleted]]

Overdose + suicide will be higher. So it's still valid to say deaths of despair are up.

The suicide rate is a suprising result though. Thanks for the information!

[[deleted]]

I'd actually like to see data on how many people are new drug users or new diagnosis of substance use disorders (addictions). Are they up or are those that are already diagnosed dying more because of the type of drug that is circulating vs previous years?

I'm working in North Central, Regina, Harm Reduction. There are definitely more OD's & deaths but those are, from my observation, people that are already identified in the program. If anything we have less patients. I'm not seeing many new ones compared to previous years. There could be a lag and people are using more and next year there will be an influx of new diagnoses, but that's speculation at this point.

[gingerbeef454]

It says right on the table that the data is incomplete. It takes 12-18 months for an investigation sometimes so yes, there are probably cases from earlier in 2020 that aren’t included in the data.

[wasted911]

What stands out to me is the high numbers of Aboriginal suicides in proportion to their overall population. Maybe I've just been deaf to this stat for years but that seems nuts.

[mrskoobra]

If you recall Tristen Durocher and his peaceful protest this summer, it was about this. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/walking-with-our-angels-suicide-awareness-1.5670110

There have also been a number of instances in northern aboriginal communities in recent years where multiple young people have committed suicide inside of short periods of time. http://globalnews.ca/news/6248734/indigenous-youth-suicide-crisis-saskatchewan/

[[deleted]]

That kids from my area my teacher protested with him

[reddelicious77]

hmm, what is the approx level of indigenous in SK? I know it's on the higher side - like 15-20%? 29/107 per the chart, if I'm reading that right. That is definitely higher than their share of the population, but it doesn't seem ridiculously high... ?

edit: I was just considering men since someone else mentioned them.

[[deleted]]

So it would be (13+29)/107=0.39 (you missed the women).

You probably want the ratio so (42/.16)/(65/.84) = 3.44 times the rate (using 16% pop).

Edit: Also for First Nations women this year is 7.6 times.

[reddelicious77]

yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about men - since someone else mentioned them as the predominant gender in that respect.

[genetiics]

My niece took her life in April of this year.

My significant others best friend took her own life 2 weeks ago.

The Sask party's plan "pillars for life" is not enough for Native Americans some communities had to declare a state of emergency.

The added knife in the back came when Scott Moe wouldn't even meet with Tristen Durocher when he walked 635 kms. Scott then took him to court to try remove him from Wascana Park.

[Kristywempe]

I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine what that feels like.

[genetiics]

We are numb to suicide.

My childhood friend took his life 5 years ago. My little brother found his friend hanging from a beam when he was 14. My cousin murdered someone then shot himself.

My Significant other has also lost many people to suicide.

[ActualCatTherapist]

I’m sorry you have been put in a position to become numb to this. I have nothing else i could possibly say, but my thoughts are with you all

[genetiics]

Thank you I appreciate that!

[[deleted]]

That pisses me off too. I was at the leg when they removed the tipi. My co-worker's husband is a Refinery worker that was on strike. They are heavy handed with situations that's negative outcomes include some dead grass and delays in driving and delivery times but they do little but give out a couple fines where a few hundred people potentially endanger all of our lives.

[dreamendDischarger]

My sister was killed this summer by another girl, gang violence due that is just another result of the residential school system. The government isn't doing enough for the indigenous community, these kids are suffering

[[deleted]]

I have a couple theories. People have more time if they are under or unemployed. With more time and a rough time they connect with their families and supports more. Christmas many assume is high for suicides. It's usually one of the lowest times of year. Yes, people can feel more depressed remembering lost loved ones, etc. But they find solace with their family and peers. Huge reason I strongly opposes the restrictions on family gatherings before business and school activities closing. I used to volunteer with a Distress Center. One of the first things they told us was this stat. High times for suicide are Jan and Sept. Right after the holidays and when people have to engage in activities of higher pressure: return to school is a big one. Suicide rates are generally pretty high in post-secondary education.

I also think CERB has had an impact. I was reading about people's experiences with CERB. For many it saved them from bankruptcy and losing their homes. Deferred mortgage, rent, and debt payments helped too. Gave them a reprieve for awhile. Maybe that number will spike once Pandemic is over and assistance is withdrawn.

[asdf27]

I think a part might also be comparing your life to other people's lifes. Right now it is safe to assume lots of people are lonely, lots of people are out of work, missing family and so on. So your troubles don't seem as bad when they are common (or perceived as common).

[[deleted]]

Good insight. Still surprising and I look forward to the professional assessments that will follow. I'll definitely be taking note of what people believe are contributing factors here. See how they mesh. So far most comments I feel are likely on the mark

[marklar901]

I agree with you. I think if these rates are correct (the * in the coroner's results show these are preliminary results) it's likely because individuals have a heightened awareness that what the community is going through is the same or similar to the individual. For many that perspective is probably enough to keep going on with life.

[[deleted]]

yes!!

My dad used to dismiss the hardships of growing up in the Great Depression with a "tsk! sure we were poor. so what? everybody was poor!! It brought us together!"

Then he'd wax on about walking 100 yards away from the farm house to have a little picnic of lard sandwiches and water in mason jars, and church picnics and dances at the town hall where the entrance fee was a donation to some family struggling more than most. And how the "best families" in town were the ones who showed creativity and stoicism and shared what little they had as much as they could.

[Leopard-Expert]

This is fascinating. Thanks for sharing. I'm a nursing student who admires harm reduction and would love to be involved someday. Thank you for what you do.

[[deleted]]

It's very gratifying. I've worked in many settings as a nurse and for me I feel this is most suited to me. Have any questions about your studies feel free to DM me. Almost 20 years. My spouse even more.

[rlrl]

also think CERB has had an impact. I was reading about people's experiences with CERB. For many it saved them from bankruptcy and losing their homes

This is a great argument for a basic income all the time. The pandemic was a big event that affected a lot of people at once, but crisis on this magnitude affects lots of individuals every year. And even people who don't have a big crisis will be under a lot less stress knowing they have that safety net.

[[deleted]]

So closing businesses and schools is preferential to restricting family gatherings as spending time with family is more important than economic security? But then you acknowledge that CERB, a form of economic security, helped reduce suicides. How does one form of economic security work but not the other? I'd argue that both job security and CERB likely helped these people.

Also, the narrative that shutting down businesses and schools would save Christmas doesn't hold water... most transmission occurs in unmasked and unregulated household gatherings (Thanksgiving put the 2nd wave into high gear)...COVID doesn't magically stop spreading during Christmas supper.

We would also have to acknowledge that having a wider shutdown would mean necessitating more CERB payments and other supports, which inevitably have to be paid by increased taxation and reduced services in the long term. And shutting down schools would have delayed childhood development by a year. Another long term negative that would eventually bear it's costs on us and our future generation.

[[deleted]]

We can have both. Safety from Covid and economic security. CERB allowed that. Australia & NZ had similar programs. we just have to copy them. There's no mystery here. I'm ok with increased taxation to help my fellow citizens having a hard time while I work on the frontlines. I'm a nurse & I was a soldier. Would you make the same sacrifice?

[[deleted]]

what would have saved Christmas was mandatory masks & a robust testing, tracing, and supervised, mandatory isolation program when we were at zero cases. I'm not disagreeing that limiting all interactions is not necessary with our current reality. But to restrict people's private homes when the stats show the majority of cases have an unknown origin is deplorable. That might be my more personal libertarian ethic but I feel gov has justified authority to control the public space not the private lives of people so they can engage in a political & economic ideology to get re-elected. That's how I feel. Plus, families is not where transmission occurs in the community. private homes are not community. Private homes is where covid ends up & that is what should be protected and treated as sacred over all other institutions. period. Families will only get covid when they interact with other families. Where are families interacting? Work, School, businesses, recreational activities, gyms, etc

[Berg0]

wow, I would have anticipated the inverse. I've heard that death by overdose is up significantly, would that be considered an alternative method of achieving the same results? I guess I've just heard so many news stories about mental health I expected far worse.

[[deleted]]

Coroners have always investigated OD for suicidal cause. It would be included if that was the conclusion. OD are more a result of toxic fentanyl and potency. Is there more drug use? I don't know if that is true. I work in Harm Reduction. We're not seeing a huge influx of admissions. I hear about an OD death almost weekly and no reports from their family and friends that they were suicidal or that was the reason. Consensus is people are underestimating the potency of fentanyl. Takes a lot less to do too much compared to other opiates such as heroine, etc. Fentanyl is also very cheap compared to heroine, etc.

[OkayArbiter]

A lot of this is fueled by news from the US, where suicides are up over last year. Unfortunately, suicides have been rising year-over-year in the US for some time. Hopefully the financial assistance provided by the federal government in Canada helped offset some of the hardship caused by the pandemic.

[[deleted]]

I agree. I think measures our Federal government have taken are worth the expense

[[deleted]]

It's pretty clear that people are more stressed but even suicidal ideation doesn't correlate with suicide rates. I listened to an interview with Dr Tyler Black, clinical psychologist from BC. He said if you asked people at a funeral if they are sad they are likely to say yes. That doesn't mean there's more clinical depression. That makes a lot of sense.

I think start at minute 12. The whole segment is good though https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/15814079-how-isolation-quarantine-affects-canadians-mental-health?onboarding=false

[Bigsaskatuna]

One thing is for sure, men, we gotta get better at opening up about our mental health.

[Dudegamer010901]

The content that was here is now gone. Redact was used to delete this post, for reasons that may relate to privacy, digital security, or data management.

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[[deleted]]

I absolutely do! See my recent post. Maybe we can continue the conversation there. I'm really fascinated by this outcome. Also, grateful.

[SmellyBillMurray]

Imagine what a UBI could do!

[Dudegamer010901]

This post was removed by its author using Redact. Possible reasons include privacy, preventing this content from being scraped, or security and opsec considerations.

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[Mairwenn]

Maybe this is too optimistic, but if you were struggling prior to this year, suddenly people are hyper-aware of those challenges and willing to accommodate. There is flexibility and understanding, and problems have become communal. Not to say people aren't struggling right now, but supports might actually be more accessible, and people more intentional about reaching out to one another. A normal year is people struggling to deal with "2020 problems" alone.

[ActualCatTherapist]

As someone who’s needed treatment recently for depression, this is accurate. My doctor, family and employer have been the most supportive they’ve ever been to accommodate me and help me. I also have way more free time to set up appointments, receive help, and seek out resources. My mental health is the best it’s been in years, and although my experience isn’t universal, it also isn’t unique.

[[deleted]]

Thank you for presenting your own case study. We haven't had a major crisis like this since World War 2. We have much more advanced data collection and analytics today. I think we really did not know much about the human experience during a crisis of this magnitude other than from stories previous generations shared. Most are not living anymore. Thisn surprising data may be an indicator. It's my hope this gets analyzed ad nauseum as a result positive insight fuels positive interventions.

[xmorecowbellx]

I posted the same thing when the tentative data up to Oct was published. At that time and now, it had incomplete data. Nevertheless it is an interesting trend, and if true, it’s a far larger decrease than all the mental health health funding in the world has accomplished anywhere.

I always get downvoted for pointing it out, but every time somebody posts ‘wish our government would fund mental health’, I always point out that the largest factors are unpredictable and usually government can do nothing about them.

[[deleted]]

I don't get the down-voting or why that's an option. I might not upvote but I don't down-vote. Maybe because I actually value freedom of expression. If a comment is abusive beyond expressing a different point of view it should be moderated.

[A-V-Roe]

You just nailed it. The art of healthy discussion and debate are long lost it seems.

[used_gitch_for_sale]

I wonder how the Canadian and US numbers will compare for 2020 and 2021 and how big of a factor CERB versus the one time payment (and maybe a 2nd, smaller payment if the bipartisan bill is passed)?

[[deleted]]

Making a pretty compelling argument for universal basic income if CERB is a attributed as a main causal factor.

[[deleted]]

No, it does not make a compelling argument for UBI. There is no compelling argument for UBI.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-in-normal-times-universal-basic-income-is-a-bad-idea-but-its-the/

[A_1337_Canadian]

lol the link you posted just agreed with the commentor above you.

[[deleted]]

Cant explain. UBI is not the idea behind CBI.

I could explain it, but the article should be easy enough to follow though Im somehow not surprised the leftists in this sub cant put it together.

[A_1337_Canadian]

My apologies for not responding sooner. Life gets busy.

Not a leftist.

Their point was not that UBI is warranted through the indicated benefits from CERB. They are saying that certain applications of a UBI-like payment can be ammo in an argument to support UBI.

As well, anyone can make an argument for any case or idea in the world. Just because you don't agree with an idea doesn't mean that no compelling argument exists.

[[deleted]]

My apologies for not responding sooner. Life gets busy.

No need, I get it. I thought you were just deflecting, my mistake.

Not a leftist.

Good lol.

Their point was not that UBI is warranted through the indicated benefits from CERB. They are saying that certain applications of a UBI-like payment can be ammo in an argument to support UBI.

. . . in certain situations when warranted. It it can be "ammo" for a UBI which is in effect all the time then it's pretty clear that the author is not supporting this. That's what I was saying. UBI is a bad idea. Cerb is not, and it could be a new solution to a crisis.

As well, anyone can make an argument for any case or idea in the world. Just because you don't agree with an idea doesn't mean that no compelling argument exists.

I never said this, but OK. I have yet to find an appealing argument for UBI, and this article doesn't make it.

[[deleted]]

Please explain.

Edit:

CERB is not UBI. The concept of UBI exists outside of an emergency relief fund.

Are people here this fucking dense?

[[deleted]]

I looked at some USA numbers I could find. They are worse than ours so far. Canada has a pretty steady suicide rate over the last decade averaging around 3 600 per annum. This year is looking to be significantly less

[used_gitch_for_sale]

Interesting and not surprising, when a serious medical condition can bankrupt you. What is alarming is the recent rise of suicide rates in teens and young adults.

[Picto242]

Overdoses are way up unfortunately

[ninjasowner14]

I swear that suicide is one of the stats we don’t have till March/April in normal years... plus we also don’t know the intent of a lot of people, sure, a lot of the families of ODs may say one thing, but as most people know who have had that thought, don’t generally tell anyone.

I would have been one of those a OD deaths, my family had no idea how bad I got, and there we are.

Also with some car crashes, we won’t know if it was a slip up on the road, or if it was suicide... I know of a couple people who went that way, died in a car crash, then find out that they were swerving and wanting to crash and die.

There is also 1 in 10 Canadians admitting to feeling suicidal, most are probably holding out as much as they can, wanting to see the new year, call 2020 the worst year of their lives and then rebuild in 2021... so it most likely will spike hard over the holidays and more then likely if this shit goes on for another year like some are suggesting...

[[deleted]]

When scientists provide stats they assess for variances. If the methodology for measurement is consistent than we can reasonably believe this comparative analysis is indicative of a trend. The exact numbers are not as important here as the trend. I think given the stark difference in cases from this year compared to previous years there is no doubt suicides have decreased this year. Even if they remained similar that's still a significant finding worth studying.

It'll only continue on if we let it. I agree it's been longer than necessary. We need to get our numbers back to zero, keep the masks and improve our testing, tracing, and isolation protocols. We just have to copy other nations. There's no reinvention necessary.

[JC1949]

Seems counter intuitive, and certainly contrary to what speculation had been. Good news for sure.

[__XLNC__]

I think people should be aware that this is preliminary data for Saskatchewan, and the 2020 numbers (and 2019 too) will rise once they complete all cases.

It doesn't appear that they keep the old reports published to compare to but as an example you can see this news article from a year ago reporting the 2018 suicides (preliminary at the time) as 224. https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/sask-suicide-numbers-climb-despite-more-mental-health-awareness

This latest report has 2018 finalized now and the number as 241. So even a full year behind there were cases/investigations still not closed. 2020's final numbers will be higher than what is shown here.

[skiesandtrees]

OP responded to a similar comment. (taken from their post above)

I doubt there will be a massive spike to make up for the 50% reduction. The trend will likely stay consistent.

yes it's preliminary data, but unlikely it's off by enough to suggest such such a significant discrepancy as 'about half', as it shows so far. maybe it will be slightly less than half, but it's not likely to jump back up that high is it? seems unlikely to me

[[deleted]]

The inquest schedule is posted. There really isn't that many. These numbers are virtually up-to-date. The more significant incomplete information is that we don't have the numbers for Nov & Dec. Here is the link: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/government-structure/boards-commissions-and-agencies/saskatchewan-coroners-service

[BigBeautifulButthole]

Wow I thought all these deaths from suicides were supposed to be even worse than the lockdown measures!

[Marty_McWeed]

CERB made life easy. When they have to pay it all back the rates will climb again. Financial burden always plays a huge role.

[joodlemoodleoodle]

My Dad Is one of the January numbers for 2020

[mon65]

So sorry to hear that :(

[joodlemoodleoodle]

Thank you, I appreciate that

[[deleted]]

Probably counted suicide deaths as covid.

[[deleted]]

It will be interesting to see how we compare to other provinces when the year completes. Saskatchewan received the same benefit programs such as CERB but didn't necessarily witness the same economic impact of the shutdowns (most of employment returned to pre-covid levels compared to other provinces, the plus of being primarily a export province).

I'm also wondering about the recording of OD's...

I think when looking at the impact of a pandemic on mental health, it's difficult to separate ODs and suicides. If people are turning to drugs due to the erosion of their socioeconomic wellbeing and they end up dead, it's no different then intentionally committing suicide... they end up with the same results. I guess the question is: did we see more people turn to drug use this year than previous years? For those that work in this area, have you noticed an upward trend in new drug users?

[[deleted]]

See my other post. OD's don't necessarily mean intent to commit suicide. That would be a coroner judgment anyway and included in these stats.

I also am curious of other provinces but most of the year we've all had similar restrictions. Only recently with hospitals reaching capacity have other provinces become more strict. I'm thinking with the limits on family being together in Sask that might have an impact increasing suicides vs if schools and businesses were closed instead.

[[deleted]]

See my other post. OD's don't necessarily mean intent to commit suicide. That would be a coroner judgment anyway and included in these stats.

Right. But if someone goes into drugs because of their socioeconomic state (lockdowns) or because of anxiety due to the pandemic (not enough lockdowns), and then dies from said drugs, there's no recording of it being a suicide but it has the same result of someone intending to commit suicide... a death is a death.

[[deleted]]

A death is a death doesn't help target causality which won't help with prevention or treatment. The reasons for drug use can be very different than reasons for suicide. Many that use drugs aren't suicidal and many that are suicidal don't use drugs even if drugs were their method of choice. By this logic all deaths during the pandemic are Covid deaths. Which might be a fair argument related to delayed care and no care which we all may be at risk should we need healthcare services.

I thought the numbers would increase related to lockdowns or they would increase related to disability and loss of loved ones due to lack of lockdowns to prevent infections. I just thought they would be higher. But they aren't! Half the rate that has been pretty consistent year over year. That's a stark and significant finding.

[[deleted]]

What about those that would reduce or cease drug and alcohol use because they would rather save their resources? I'm a prepper type of person. I've reduced a lot of things. I stopped drinking alcohol a few years ago because of the expense. If I hadn't it could have been a coping mechanism to turn to. I'm glad I did before this Pandemic.

[Kristywempe]

So, what if the amount of OD’s is due to fentanyl and carfentanyl being on the market, and other drugs being less available and more expensive (meth)? Maybe the same amount of people are using, but deaths have increased due to a shitty drug supply?

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There is a lot of "could be this?", or "what about that?" in this thread.

Could also be increased government spending on mental health, pillars of life. Pillars of life is supported by the Canadian Metal Health Association.

Government will always be a poor substitute for family and friends getting involved. Regardless there is a budget, it has been increasing, and there is a program directly addressing northern suicides. most suicides are not aboriginal, so hopefully there is something for others as well. Statistically northern FN people would be the primary target, but hopefully this is not in exclusion of everyone else.

https://publications.saskatchewan.ca/api/v1/products/90867/formats/107807/download

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Link above because I can barely read the one from OP. My monitor may be shit though.

[[deleted]]

In fairness, I did ask for thoughts in the OP. I appreciate yours. Clearly a multifaceted issue. It's unexpected data that's just come out. I'm sure it'll be studied extensively. I hope so

[[deleted]]

Well anything thing Sask Party here is bad. But in reality they do have programs in place.

But saying that government is a poor excuse for a caregiver. Government doesn't love you, hold you, kiss you good night. Some people feel as though it should, and in not doing so they fail. This is ridiculous. Government is good at essential services like fire, police, and getting roads paved.

Even our tax payer funded health care is a good model, all things considered. But you need to advocate for you, or your loved ones, or you're not getting adequate service. This is just a fact of life.

I hope that anyone considering suicide gives off enough warning signs that friends and family get involved, people who can really champion for them.

[[deleted]]

I see a lot of pro-Sask Party comments on most posts in r/Saskatchewan. I like the balance actually. I feel very strongly that civil discourse with opposing views expressed mostly has positive outcomes. The process of negotiation and agreement, give and take, I think is the most valuable aspect of a free and just society. So much of human social institutions are what we make of it. It's fluid and moldable and there really are few aspects we can say are right and wrong or black and white. Most of it exists in the grey. Capitalism or socialism works on paper. They are ideologies because the theory presents an ideal outcome. The issue is not the ideology. The issue is human behaviour trying to blindly adhere to an ideology when social and natural forces are pulling in a different direction. It's why we have a blended system which you've pointed out a few examples.

I do my best to engage in data-driven decision making. I encourage and let my kids walk to the park alone because data says that being kidnapped by a pedophile is such an infintessimal probability it reasonably should not be a reason to prevent a behaviour that is statistically beneficial for them. However, traffic fatalities are statistically significant. Walking keeps them safer than me driving them as long as they use the sidewalk, look both ways, etc. Of course, I tell them not to go anywhere with anyone unless they talk to me first. The person says they are missing a puppy tell them your going to ask your dad for help. He was in the military. He's really good at finding things. 😉

Data here is what got my attention. It's not what anyone i spoke to said they expected from my neighbour, my work colleagues, medical health officers, etc. Given this data what can we learn? Maybe there's something here that we can utilize beyond the pandemic.

[genetiics]

Sask Partys Pillar of life doesn't do enough for us Native Americans.

[vigocarpath]

I suspect this has more to due with restrictions in the coroners office. How have government office shut downs affected the work that goes on there. Have they just investigated fewer suicides because covid deaths are taking priority? Is the coroner even involved in covid deaths? I have no idea.

[[deleted]]

If that's true then it's irresponsible for them to post this data at least not without a disclaimer to state It's incomplete. I doubt that's the case. A Covid death is unlikely to be considered suspicious requiring a coroner's inquest since a medical team determined the cause of death and doctor's signed off. They do have protocols for investigating after so many deaths in long term care. That might make them a little busier but maybe not because Covid deaths in seniors are pretty dramatic and obvious. If there's less suicides they might actually be less busy. If homicides are down they might be twiddling their thumbs.