For some people who are experiencing distress, it is sometimes easier to express themselves in writing. The suicide.ca chat and text intervention service can be a good option to ask for help and talk to someone about your situation. This specialized suicide prevention help service is free and allows you to talk to a professional suicide prevention worker, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in complete confidentiality.
Suicide.ca is the first digital suicide prevention service in Quebec. This platform, which was launched in 2020, is run by the Association québécoise de prévention du suicide, in collaboration with its partners, including the Centre de prévention du suicide de Québec, Suicide Action Montréal and the Centre de prévention du suicide 02. Suicide.ca is supported by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, as part of the Digital Strategy for Suicide Prevention announced in 2017.
Reliable, quality service
The mission of suicide.ca is to prevent suicide through digital technologies. The platform is aimed at people with suicidal thoughts, those who are worried about a loved one or who are bereaved, as well as those who work with vulnerable clients.
Suicide.ca is the result of a rigorous clinical, ethical, technological and communication process carried out by experts from various backgrounds. All the content and tools made available to the public were developed by professionals and researchers specializing in suicide prevention.
Information and tools for self-care
To take care of one’s mental health and prevent suicidal thoughts, suicide.ca also offers interactive tools that can help identify strategies for getting better and coping with stress, recognize the warning signs of distress, make a safety plan, adopt good lifestyle habits, and more. The tools include a mood log, breathing exercises and a self-assessment questionnaire to help you take stock of your mental health
Resources for practioners
The resources offered by suicide.ca can also support all those who work with clients affected by the problem of suicide. Practitioners can refer to it themselves or suggest suicide.ca as a complementary resource to their clients to help them through the process, in complete confidence, especially between appointments. The “My tools – suicide.ca” mobile application can also be useful in clinical practice to identify intervention targets with clients and to monitor the progress of their situation.
Do not hesitate to ask for help
Asking for help is not always easy, but it’s important to know that suicide intervention practitioners at suicide.ca are used to talking about suicide and are trained to listen and help without judgment. Any situation is a good one to start a conversation with a counsellor.
“If it wasn’t for the 24/7 service, I wouldn’t be here to enjoy the good times and face the bad times with my loved ones”. Testimonial from a person who used the suicide intervention service of suicide.ca.
In addition to suicide.ca, which offers online help, other suicide prevention resources exist in Quebec and Canada. Visit the suicide.ca website for all the information and download the “My tools – suicide.ca” mobile application in the App Store or Google Play.
