According to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, Indigenous Peoples in Canada have some of the highest suicide rates in the world.
Because of that APTN News talked with two experts in the field to discuss what to do if you have a friend or family member who isn’t acting like themselves.
The answer is ask them questions; Are you feeling down? Are you feeling depressed? Are you have thoughts of suicide?
“If you’re going through a difficult time and you go to a friend or a family member, often times they’ll say, like, ‘you’re strong’, or ‘don’t even think about that’. ‘you could do better’ or else they’ll give advice really quick. But often what people really want is someone to truly hear them,” said Carla Cochrane from the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat. “So listen to understand, not to fix, just to be there and be that listening ear.”
Cochrane says there are a number of reasons why someone would consider taking their lives – and sharing the mental load with them can help.
“If you imagine a cup and sometimes it could be one event or it could be a series of events – if someone, say, lost their job, the cup fills up, if someone ended up getting in a fight with their friend, the cup fills up. Let’s say someone didn’t pass a course and the cup overflows. I always say to a person, for us, is to help empty that cup,” she said.
“Do something that’s positive and healthy to help make yourself feel better. So, it’s important to empty that cup, but it’s also important to connect with people.”
Francine Douglas works for Sacred Circle, an Indigenous health and wellness organization in British Columbia.
She said personal experiences and our collective history as Indigenous people can play a role in mental health.
“Our world can get really small when we’re hurting and when we’re in pain,” she said. “the one thing I always think about is how the – we’re never really alone and especially in our hurt and our pain. As a people, collectively, we’ve been through too much. And that hurt and that pain doesn’t really belong to us.”
She said talking about suicide can feel scary – but it’s important.
“People are always afraid or they get nervous if there’s somebody talking about suicide, but I always think that when people are reaching out for help there’s nothing to be afraid of in reaching your hand back,” said Douglas. “And giving them your hand and saying that it’s okay. ‘It’s okay, the one thing I know I can do is sit here and be with you.'”
If you’re feeling unwell and need to talk, please reach out to the National Suicide Crisis Helpline by dialing 988 anywhere in Canada.
