Suicide Prevention & Life Promotion in Schools: A National Guide for System Leaders

According to Statistics Canada (2022), suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults (15-34 years).^[1] Approximately 17 to 20 per cent of all adolescent deaths in Canada are attributed to suicide.^[2] In addition to the tragic loss for the young person and their family and friends, a student death by suicide can be associated with suicidal ideation and behaviour among peers.^[3] The ripples of impact are significant and long-standing.

Since young people spend much of their time in school, this can be an excellent setting for prevention. Suicide Prevention & Life Promotion in Schools: A National Guide for System Leaders, was developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, School Mental Health Ontario, and We Matter to support school system leaders with this challenging work. It was created in consultation with representatives from community mental health services, school districts, research institutions, and young people across Canada.

School-based suicide prevention and life promotion includes a range of efforts designed to promote mental wellness and to reduce the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours among students. Engaging in this important work within the school system creates an opportunity for a holistic, proactive, and culturally responsive approach. Drawing on the wisdom of Indigenous leaders, this approach can and should prioritize life promotion, vitality, and living a full and healthy life.^[4] For Indigenous students, life promotion encourages hope, belonging, purpose, and meaning^[5] and is nurtured through connection to self, the land, and community.^[6],[7] Students with different identities and cultural backgrounds can also benefit from the wisdom in this approach and can be supported to draw on their personal and community strengths and supports to build mental wellness in a proactive and ongoing manner.

Suicide prevention and life promotion is complex, and school districts across Canada have uneven access to mental health resources. This guide uses the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to organize services for child and youth mental health and further punctuates this upstream approach to suicide prevention in schools.^[8] It features a continuum of care, including mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention, and intensive therapeutic support, that is made available to students in ways that are identity affirming and culturally responsive. Applying this globally recognized thinking to suicide prevention highlights the powerful role of wellness promotion in any suicide prevention effort.

[1] Statistics Canada. (2021). Suicide in Canada: key statistics (infographic). https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/suicide-canada-key-statistics-infographic.html

[2] School Mental Health-Assist. (2014). Youth suicide prevention at school: A resource for school mental health leadership teams. https://campusmentalhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/SMHA-YouthSuicidePrevention-SchoolResource-English-forweb.pdf

[3] Poland, S., Lieberman, R., & Niznik., M. (2017). Suicide contagion and clusters—Part 1: What school psychologists should know. Communiqué, 47(5), 21-3.

[4] Task Group on Mental Wellness. (2022). Life promotion suicide prevention: Recommendations on supporting mental wellness for First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://thunderbirdpf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/NPH-Life-Promotion-Report_EN_WEB.pdf

[5] Thunderbird Partnership Foundation. (2015). The First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework summary report. https://thunderbirdpf.org/?resources=first-nations-mental-wellness-continuum-framework-summary-report-2#6 

[6] The Promoting Life Together Collaborative. (2021). The Promoting Life Together story. https://www.healthcareexcellence.ca/en/what-we-do/all-programs/the-promoting-life-together-collaborative/

[7] Task Group on Mental Wellness. (2022). Life promotion suicide prevention: Recommendations on supporting mental wellness for First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[8] Arora, P. G., Collins, T. A., Dart, E. H. Hernández, S., Fetterman, F., & Doll, B. (2019). Multi-tiered systems of support for school-based mental health: A systematic review of depression interventions. School Mental Health, 11, 240-64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-019-09314-4