Due to the nature of their jobs, Public Safety Personnel (PSP) are chronically exposed to incidents that may be traumatizing. This exposure has been linked to an increased risk of suicidal behaviour and dying by suicide. Concerns about the mental health of PSP have been growing among policy makers, researchers, clinicians, and PSP members alike. In response to this pressure, provincial and federal governments have developed legislation to help PSP members access mental health supports for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, unlike many other countries, Canada does not have a national suicide prevention strategy specifically for PSP. To address this, our PSP suicide prevention program of research will develop, evaluate, and disseminate a suicide prevention plan for Canadian PSP.

In Ontario there at least 8,000 visits each year to the emergency department for an episode of self-harm. These patients are at a higher risk of dying by suicide in the following year. Research also shows that men are particularly vulnerably to this, making up about 75% of all suicide deaths in Ontario.

While suicide prevention strategies often stress the importance of using evidence-based treatment, the research has demonstrated that these treatments are few and far between. As researchers and clinicians, we need to ask ourselves, what is the best way to deliver treatment to meet the needs of men who self-harm?

To address this, we have developed a two-part intervention to provide treatment to men who present to emergency departments across Ontario for an episode of self-harm. This pairs an evidence-based treatment for self-harm (problem-solving therapy) with the convenience and mobility of a smartphone app.

uicide is a leading cause of death in Canada, with about 4,000 people dying by suicide each year [1]. While great care and effort goes into the investigation of suicide deaths by the coroner, the results of these investigations are rarely used to inform local suicide prevention efforts.

To address this, we conducted a chart review of suicide death records at the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario. We reviewed all suicide death records for the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) from January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2014.

Depression is a common mental health disorder that has significant impacts on quality of life. Treatment for depression often relies on drug therapy because of long wait times and the expense of seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist face-to-face. To address this, we conducted a study that explored the effectiveness of using a coach to guide patients through a free online therapy program for depression (The Journal).