By Angela Brown

High suicide rates for men in local region a cause for concern

Apr 25, 2017 | 4:00 PM

Men in the Prairie North Health Region are at an alarmingly high risk of suicide, according to recent statistics.

Suicide numbers for this group in 2014 were double the prior year`s figures. The rate jumped to 28.74 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people – more than twice the 2013 rate of 12.3.

Canadian Mental Health Association’s Battlefords branch executive director Jane Zielke de Montbrun said she is aware of some of the challenges for people with mental health issues accessing care in the Battlefords.

“People wait so long for services when they have mental health problems it’s staggering,” she said.

“For example, if you need to see a psychiatrist in this region it will probably be more than five months down the road before you will get an appointment.”

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She said to receive counselling services individuals need to wait six to eight weeks or longer.

“I guess we need to provide more attention to providing better mental health services for everybody in our communities,” added Zielke de Montbrun.

Saskatchewan Health data reflecting rates for 2014 show marked spikes in a number of categories for Prairie North Health Region, which encompasses a large area including the Battlefords and Meadow Lake, and has a population of 82,499, based on 2015 numbers.

High suicide rates for young people in the health region are also particularly noticeable in the findings.

In Prairie North, for 2014 the highest suicide rates were for people 20 to 29 years of age at 46.58 deaths per 100,000 people. 

Psychologist Wayne Schlapkohl with Battlefords Mental Health Centre at Battlefords Union Hospital, said he is aware of higher suicide rates.

“One of the things more probably that concerns us is that the province of Saskatchewan has quite often had the highest suicide rate of all the Canadian provinces,” he said, while adding some territories do have higher rates than Saskatchewan.

Recent events in the news addressed high suicide rates among youth in Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation in Northern Saskatchewan, which is under the jurisdiction of Prairie North Health Region.

“Because those deaths tended to be in northern communities and at times aboriginal communities, I think the only thing I take away from that is that I as a mental health worker, and I think, as a province, we need to listen a little better to people from the north, and listen to elders when they speak of how we can make the lives of their youth more meaningful and happy, and successful,” said Schlapkohl. “I think we need to do that a little better.”

With Mental Health Awareness Week starting next week, local health providers are hoping more people will start to talk about mental health and individuals those who are at risk of suicide seek help.

When looking at some of the variables from year to year in statistics for suicide rates, Schlapkohl said people shouldn’t read too much into the figures.

“The numbers fluctuate a little and they are pretty small,” he said, adding a number might also reverse itself the following year, so he advises people to review statistics with caution.

Rates for men show there were four times as many men who died from suicide in 2014 in the region compared to women.

On the issue of youth suicide, Schlapkohl said young people may be experiencing stressful times in their life at this age, as they deal with significant adjustments — leaving home, starting their first job, and having their first serious relationships.

“Often that age group is going through huge change,” he said.

“We always say to people, one of the things to watch for if you are worried about a family member or friend having suicidal thoughts is if you notice things like sadness, and hopelessness, having trouble getting out of bed, as well as an increase in substance use,” he added. “Those numbers go up in those years, so that is something we would tell people to be careful about.”

In Prairie North, for youth ages 10 to 19 in 2014 the reported rate was 25.09 deaths per 100,000, lower than 2013 rates, but still considerably high compared to other groups.

Suicide rates among the elderly are also a concern in the local health region, at three times the provincial rate. The rate for death by suicide for people age 70 and over was 31.32 in 2014 in the region, compared to 8.71 in the province.

Across the province, there are similar concerns as in the region. In 2014, a jump from the prior year, suicides for people ages 20 to 29 reached 16.47 deaths per 100,000. 

The provincial number for men is close to three times the rate for women. The suicide rate reached 16.64 per 100,000 in 2014 for men, compared to 6.13 for women.

With the local CMHA, Jane Zielke de Montbrun said she is concerned about a lack of funding for health care.

She is especially upset with recent news of a 10 per cent provincial funding cut to health funding to community-based not profits, which would include the CMHA.

“We help keep people well, and without the programs we have in place in our community the people who do have significant mental health problems are more at risk of hospitalization. That’s a great concern to us,” said Zielke de Montbrun.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW