Quebec accounts for a third of all suicide cases in Canada and has the highest rate among the provinces. Douglas Hospital researchers and clinicians are working to improve these statistics by offering specialized suicide prevention and depressive disorders treatment programs.

“These numbers are a concern for all of us,” says Gustavo Turecki, MD, PhD, director of the Douglas’ Depressive Disorders Program and the McGill Group for Suicide Studies. “We need to promote better awareness and recognition of suicide as an important health issue. One our most important goals is to transfer knowledge from the researcher to the general practitioner and other health-care professionals.”

“It is essential to increase public awareness of the underlying causes of depression, and it is particularly important for the individuals close to people with suicidal tendencies to be better-informed,” agrees Douglas psychiatrist Johanne Renaud, MD, who oversees the youth section of the Depressive Disorders Program. “We need to recognize the telltale signs early on, so that depressed individuals can get the care they need.”

Warning signs for family and friends that a person may have suicide tendencies include deep feelings of sadness, behaviour that is out of character, social withdrawal, giving away prized possessions to friends and family, and making remarks related to death and dying.

Last winter, the Depressive Disorders Program at the Douglas was created to provide cutting-edge treatment for patients of all ages and to offer family support. It is designed to help patients with a history of suicidal behaviour, youth who suffer from major depression, adults who are not responding to treatment, and those who find themselves in extended mourning. The program’s multidisciplinary team evaluates and treats patients with a variety of techniques, with or without medication, including family and group therapy and interventions aimed at suicide prevention.

Suicide research at the Douglas address questions such as: "Why do some people who become depressed commit suicide while others who have the same illness do not?" Studies are being conducted to better understand the characteristics of these individuals, focusing on issues such as personality traits and other possible psychiatric disorders. Investigations are also underway which look at the neurobiology of suicide, and the role of genetic risk factors.

This week is Quebec Suicide Prevention Week.