Suicide in Canada

by Leenaars, Antoon A.; Wenckstern, Susanne; Sakinofsky, Isaac; Dyck, Ronald J.; Kral, Michael J.

• ISBN13: 9780802077912
• ISBN10: 0802077919
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-01-01
• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr

Summary

The Canadian National Task Force on Suicide found that suicide rates in Canada, especially among youth, exceed those in other countries around the world, including the United States. Health care professionals and social service providers identify suicide as one of the most important areas in which they need information. Yet, there has been little change in public policies, and support for research is lacking. Compiled by Canada's leading experts on suicide, this collection provides long-awaited information that focuses specifically on Canada. It addresses suicide as a multi-dimensional problem with biological, psychological, cultural, sociological, personal, and philosophical aspects. The contributions integrate both critical analysis and personal experience. There are accounts from Inuit elders, from women who have survived the loss of a family member, and from workers at a crisis line. Among the topics covered are the development of suicide prevention; theory and research; First Nations and Inuit peoples; family, community, and government approaches; distress centres; survivors; and the debate over the right to die. Suicide in Canadadoes more than simply describe the recent developments in suicidology in Canada - it is a call for action that will save lives. It will be of immediate use to psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, crisis workers, and researchers.

Author Biography

ANTOON A. LEENAARS practises psychology in Windsor, Ontario, and is affiliated with the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. SUSANNE WENCKSTERN is a psychology consultant for the Board of Education, City of Windsor. ISAAC SAKINOFSKY is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and head of the Suicide Studies Program at the Clarke Institute for Psychiatry.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
History
History: Vignettes of the Development in Suicide Prevention	p. 3
Epidemiology and the Canadian Scene
The Epidemiology of Suicide in Canada	p. 37
Epidemiology of Suicide, Parasuicide, and Suicidal Ideation in Quebec	p. 67
Immigrant Suicide in Canada	p. 85
Suicide in Canada and the United States: A Societal Comparison	p. 108
Theory and Research
Pain, Depression, and Suicide	p. 125
Attempted Suicide in Edmonton	p. 136
Correlates of Suicidal Ideation: Personal Variables, Stress, and Social Support	p. 151
First Nations and Inuit
Suicide in First Nations People	p. 165
Stories of Distress and Healing: Inuit Elders on Suicide	p. 179
Suicide among the Inuit of Canada	p. 189
Coping with Northern Aboriginal Youths' Suicides	p. 212
Family, Community, and Government Approaches
Suicide and the Family in Canada	p. 229
Suicide Prevention in Rural Communities: 'Designing a Way Forward'	p. 242
Suicide Prevention in Canada: Work in Progress	p. 256
Youth Suicide, Schools, and Communities
Comprehensive Youth Suicide Prevention: A Model for Understanding	p. 275
Youth Suicide Prevention in Schools and Community: A Progress Report	p. 291
Suicide Postvention: Cultural Issues	p. 309
Distress Centres
Crisis Intervention: Distress-Centre Model	p. 325
Crisis Lines, Telephone Technology, and Confidentiality	p. 342
Kamatsiaqtut, Baffin Crisis Line: Community Ownership of Support in a Small Town	p. 353
Survivors
My Story: Thoughts of a Survivor	p. 369
'I Can't Hear the Music'	p. 376
After Suicide: Reweaving the Web	p. 385
Women as Survivors of Suicide: An Experience of Integration	p. 406
The Right to Die
A Coroner's View Regarding the 'Right to Die' Debate	p. 425
The Right to Die and the Right to Live: Perspectives on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide	p. 441
Suicide, Euthanasia, and Assisted Suicide	p. 459
Contributors	p. 475
Index	p. 477
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.