Abstract
In Canada, suicide has transitioned from being a criminal activity with much associated stigma, to being a public health concern that needs to be managed by governments and clinicians in a culturally sensitive manner. In Canada and worldwide, the social attitudes toward and legal interpretation of suicide have been dynamic. Much has been proposed in the development of suicide policy in Canada, however Canada is unique in that it remains one of the only industrialized countries without a national suicide prevention strategy. The current article provides a critical review of the history of suicide in Canada, as well as an appraisal of Canadian suicide prevention policies and key government and political milestones that have impacted suicide policy. Current activity regarding a national suicide prevention strategy in Canada is discussed, as well as potential options for clinician involvement.
Key words: Suicide, policy, history
Résumé
Le suicide, qui était autrefois une activité criminelle à caractère infamant, est devenu au Canada un problème de santé publique qui doit être géré par les gouvernements et les cliniciens d’une manière adaptée aux différences culturelles. Au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde, on constate des changements dans les attitudes sociales face au suicide et dans les interprétations juridiques du suicide. Beaucoup de choses ont été proposées en vue d’élaborer une politique sur le suicide au Canada, mais le Canada est un cas particulier, car il demeure l’un des seuls pays industrialisés à ne pas avoir de stratégie nationale de prévention du suicide. Notre article fait l’examen critique de l’histoire du suicide au Canada et évalue les politiques canadiennes de prévention du suicide et les grands jalons gouvernementaux et politiques qui ont eu un impact. Nous présentons les efforts actuels pour mettre au point une stratégie nationale de prévention du suicide au Canada, ainsi que les moyens possibles pour les cliniciens de s’impliquer.
Mots clés: suicide, politique, histoire
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge Stephanie Loewen for her help in providing information on Manitoba’s Suicide Prevention Initiatives, as well as Dr. Leslie Carrothers for his guidance in health policy. Preparation of this article was supported by research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Dr. Bolton #102682) and Manitoba Health Research Council (Dr. Bolton), a Manitoba Health Research Council Chair Award (Dr. Sareen), a CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Chair Award (Dr. Martens), a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Doctoral Scholarship (Ms. Spiwak), and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award (Dr. Bolton #113589; Dr. Elias # 80503).
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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