A new three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline - 988 - will be launched across Canada.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission anticipates the hotline will launch November 30, 2023.
“I think it will be a great tool,” said Tracey Derosbie, speaking to SooToday.
Derosbie’s son - Tyler LaFortune - died by suicide on June 24 at the age of 38.
“Similar to 911 it’s going to be easy to remember, but unlike 911 it’s going to put you in contact with people trained to help you, mental health professionals, not the police. The police do a great job but this isn’t their realm,” Derosbie said.
Derosbie is a Bruce Mines native who lived briefly in Sault Ste. Marie.
She and her husband moved to Beersville, New Brunswick in July.
“I’ve basically buried myself in the projects here to cope because we purchased an old farm and we’re restoring it.”
Derosbie said she has heard of a Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) support group program for people who have lost family members to suicide and plans to reach out and see if there is such a program in the area where she now lives.
“I need to reach out and talk to somebody about it.”
“I’ve lost friends and a parent but this is a whole different loss.”
“After losing someone to suicide, the people left behind are always questioning by thinking ‘what if’ and ‘why,’ blaming themselves for maybe missing signs. We’re left with more questions than answers. It’s still a taboo topic so people left behind suffer in silence," Derosbie said.
Apart from urging those who have lost family members or friends to suicide to seek grief counselling, Derosbie said people must be on the lookout for warning signs in individuals who are suicidal.
“I’d like to see people who are aware of a problem to open up and say something. Don’t be afraid, just because you don’t know the family, to reach out to them and say ‘hey, I’m really concerned about you family member’ because that person may not be showing signs to his or her own family.”
“Tyler was a tough cookie. He didn’t show a lot of people his soft side. He had friends he reached out to and they were helping him and I really appreciate that. He was always there for somebody else but he was never there for himself.”
"This wasn’t Tyler’s modus operandi. This wasn’t him,” Derosbie said.
“Some people say ‘I don’t understand why people turn to suicide, it’s so selfish’ but suicide isn’t a selfish act. It’s a desperate act to stop the pain that person feels.”
Derosbie added a cautionary note about medications some people are prescribed.
“That wasn’t Tyler’s case but in high school I had a teacher who often said suicide is a permanent solution to just a temporary problem and later on that same teacher committed suicide. He was on a medication that can cause suicidal thoughts and no one was aware of that until it was too late.”
While encouraged by the CRTC’s decision to introduce the 988 hotline, Derosbie said more needs to be done to help those who are suicidal.
“There aren’t enough services available to help once the person reaches out for help. The healthcare system is crumbling. People fall through the cracks and they’re lost.”
“I think that the federal, provincial and local governments know what the problems are but there’s so much time and money that gets spent going back and forth and finger pointing that it's not being dealt with. It’s being avoided and it’s getting worse. It needs to stop. Someone needs to be the adult in the room and say ‘okay, that’s enough.’ That’s my opinion.”
The announcement regarding the new 988 hotline came after MPs voted unanimously in favour of it in December 2020.
Meanwhile, those in need of help can reach Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566 or by text at 45645 from 4 p.m. to midnight Eastern Time only.
The Kids Help Phone is available at 1-800-668-6868, with live chat counselling also available at the Kids Help Phone website.
