Huff Post: What I’ve Learned After a Decade of Researching Suicide

Jitender Sareen

Jitender Sareen, professor of psychiatry, psychology and community health sciences, recently wrote an essay that was published in the Huffington Post.

As he writes near the beginning of his article:

First, it is important to that understand suicide, like other medical conditions such as cancer and heart disease, is complex. There is no singular cause of suicide. People who attempt or die by suicide often have stories of adverse childhood experiences, onset of depression, anxiety, substance use problems, loss of social support, financial stress, medical problems and impulsive/aggressive personality styles. Our work in First Nations communities has also demonstrated the importance of loss of culture, residential school trauma and racism as a risk for suicide behaviour.