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Suicide prevention is an umbrella term that often encompasses all activities working toward reducing suicide and its impact. Below is more information on the suicide prevention continuum, which includes prevention, intervention, and postvention activities.
Suicide prevention is an umbrella term that often encompasses all activities working toward reducing suicide and its impact. One way to understand suicide prevention is through the suicide prevention continuum, which includes Prevention, Intervention and Postvention. These are three common areas of focus for those working in the field of suicidology, including community-based organizations. They can be understood as the before, during, and after experiences of suicidal thoughts and behaviours, although some activities and services may cross categories along the continuum.
Prevention involves activities which help to build awareness of mental health and suicide, with a focus on increasing protective factors and reducing risk factors for suicide (Government of Canada, 2016). It is often thought of as “upstream” programs and activities that are aimed at building stronger, more resilient individuals and communities such as social-emotional learning programs, mental health literacy programs, and stigma reduction and safe messaging information.
Intervention includes activities that work to support an individual experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Intervention tends to focus on individuals that are in crisis or at a high risk of suicide, those who have attempted suicide, as well as people seeking help for someone else. Activities and services could include crisis and distress line services, brief interventions, as well as mental health treatment such as ongoing counselling or psychotherapy, staying in an in-patient or residential treatment facility, and/or short-term stabilization emergency intervention.
Postvention activities work to help support those impacted by a suicide loss or experience. Postvention activities and services can include bereavement education and supports (individual and family counselling), peer support groups, and interventions in schools, workplaces and communities to prevent further losses.
In addition to the suicide continuum, there is a growing field of study within suicidology called Life Promotion. Life Promotion was conceptualized by Indigenous communities, scholars and advocates who desired to have a framework for suicide prevention that was grounded in Indigenous knowledge, principles and values. Many Life Promotion activities incorporate the traditional knowledge and cultural practices of Indigenous Peoples.
To learn more about Life Promotion, you can visit:
Government of Canada, 2016. Framework for Suicide
Prevention: Suicide
Prevention Framework – Canada.ca
Center for Suicide Prevention. Together to Live: About | (togethertolive.ca)