By Abby Hinostroza
*Content warning: This article discusses suicide, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and mental health*
September is a time to raise awareness for suicide prevention, with World Suicide Prevention Day taking place on September 10. It is an opportunity to remember and honour those we have lost, acknowledge those who are struggling, and recognise the families, friends, and communities impacted. Suicidal distress can present itself in a multitude of ways, including drug and alcohol misuse, direct physical harm to the body, eating-related behaviours, or even psychological self-abuse. These behaviours can be ways of coping with emotional distress, self-punishment, or an attempt to regulate overwhelming emotions. This is why suicide prevention is so important. It helps raise awareness and deepen our understanding of the possible signs someone may be showing. But the thing is, it could also be so much more than that.
It is estimated that more than 720,000 people die by suicide globally each year. We love, we honour, and we acknowledge, but we often never ask why. There is little discussion about the complex factors that contribute to suicide. There is also a stigma surrounding suicide, with people being labelled as “attention-seeking” or “manipulative”. These labels are often applied by those uninformed about mental illness or the psychological distress it causes. Though there may be individuals who express suicidal thoughts or behaviours for reasons others perceive as attention-seeking, I believe they deserve compassion as well. Something must have gone wrong for someone to feel as though hurting themselves is the only way to make someone care.
When we talk about suicide prevention, we usually think of crisis lines and therapy. But suicide prevention is so much more than that. It is connected to everything that makes a life stable, safe, and worth living. When people lack basic human needs, it can create chronic stress, hopelessness, and trauma. By addressing these broader social issues, we can support mental health and contribute to suicide prevention.
Suicide prevention is also affordable healthcare. Housing stability. A liveable wage. Paid parental leave. Food security. Access to medication. Affirming care. Paid time off. Safe storage laws. Disability supports. Immigrant safety. Parks, libraries, and third spaces. Veteran care. Substance-use support. Even bullying prevention. We need to understand that preventing suicide means more than intervening when someone is at their lowest. It means building a world where people are supported, safe, connected, and given the resources they need to keep living.
This can be done on multiple levels: governmental policy, workplace and university reforms, healthcare funding, and investing in local communities to name a few. The key idea is that suicide prevention should be treated as a society-wide responsibility, not something left solely to crisis services.
Governments can:
Make healthcare and essential medications affordable and accessible. Invest in social and affordable housing and strengthen protections against eviction and homelessness. Raise wages and strengthen income support so people can afford basic necessities. Provide adequate paid parental leave and paid sick and mental-health leave. Strengthen food-security programs and reduce barriers to accessing assistance. Fund accessible disability supports and services. Protect immigrants and refugees from exploitation and violence, removing barriers to healthcare along the way. Create and protect safe public spaces such as parks, libraries, community centres, and youth spaces.
Healthcare systems can:
Make mental healthcare easier to access before someone reaches a crisis point. Reduce waiting times and the cost of treatment. Ensure continuity of care so people do not suddenly lose access to medication or support. Provide culturally safe and affirming care. Treat suicide risk alongside the person’s real-life circumstances: housing, finances, discrimination, disability, relationships, and physical health.
Workplaces and universities can:
Provide genuinely accessible mental-health support. Offer paid leave and flexibility without punishing people for using it. Reduce financial and academic pressures where possible. Create environments where people feel like they belong and can ask for help without shame. Train staff to respond compassionately to someone in distress.
Communities can:
Fund and protect spaces where people can connect without needing to spend money. Reduce loneliness by creating opportunities for friendship, volunteering, sport, art, and community participation. Check in on people, not just when they appear to be in crisis. Challenge the stigma around suicide, mental illness, disability, and seeking help. Support organisations already doing prevention and advocacy work.
And finally, individuals can contribute by:
Voting and advocating for policies that address these issues. Supporting people in their lives practically, not just emotionally. Creating communities where people feel noticed, valued, and included. Listening without judgement when someone says they are struggling.
Ultimately, suicide prevention requires both intervention and prevention. We need crisis lines and emergency care for people who are in immediate danger, but we also need to ask:
What would make fewer people reach that point in the first place?
The answer is often not just “more awareness.” It is material security, healthcare, safety, dignity, connection, belonging, and the ability to imagine a future worth staying for.
