Although the number of calls to the Suicide Prevention Center (CPS) Côte-Nord has remained stable since the pandemic, follow-up or follow-up calls, meanwhile, are up 17%, according to data from March 2020 to March 2021.
What this data means, according to the head of communications at the CPS de la Côte-Nord, Kim Bouchard, is that “people who are already following up with our workers need more support during this period when mental health can be affected by confinement, for example. »
Workers must therefore take more steps and offer more support to suicidal people while they are in the care of a professional resource or a loved one.
In total, between March 2020 and March 2021, the CPS de la Côte-Nord carried out 4,201 interventions, which is comparable to previous years.
“However, suicidal or bereaved clients are up 7% compared to the 2019-2020 figures,” comments Ms. Bouchard.
These data only relate to one year of the pandemic, but those which will be produced next March will cover all the waves of the health crisis and will therefore be more representative according to the communications manager.
By phone or in person
Since December 2020, the regional CPS offers the possibility of intervening face to face with people who feel the need. This service, which is currently on hold due to pandemic measures, is in addition to the telephone call center.
“We realized that it was a need for some clients to be able to speak to the workers in person. Our current location in Baie-Comeau allows us to do this one person at a time, so by appointment. We have also opened points of service in Forestville and Sept-Îles which operate in the same way, ”reveals Kim Bouchard, specifying that the telephone is not a means of communication suitable for everyone, whether for reasons of deafness. or bond of trust.
In the coming months, the Baie-Comois office will be moving to rue De Puyjalon, near other mental health services such as Homme aide Manicouagan.
“We will be identifiable and our doors will be open to everyone,” assures Ms. Bouchard. Added to this move is the housing service project for people in crisis, on which the CPS team is working hard.
Mission
The role of the CPS is to accompany the callers “in order to reduce their crisis and that they are safe”, explains the spokesperson.
“Afterwards, we direct them to resources and we make sure they are taken care of,” she continues. As the waiting lists are long for a psychology or psychiatry service and not all clients wish to consult, we have to find plans B and C. This is when relatives or work are used. »
The first step to get out of a more mentally difficult period is certainly “to contact the CPS or any other organization likely to help us since it is a good gateway to receiving services”, as Kim Bouchard advises.
But to do this, “we must start by recognizing that we are not well”.
This is why as a friend or family member, we should not overlook certain signs of distress in our loved ones.
“People in depression or suicidal isolate themselves, have a loss of interest in what they loved before, mood swings, they have difficulty sleeping and less motivation,” lists the communications manager.
If we see these signs in someone around us, “it should ring a bell. In this case, if we feel comfortable, we can directly ask the person the question to know if they are thinking of suicide, if they have dark thoughts. If we don’t feel capable, we can contact the CPS who can give advice and/or contact the person in distress,” suggests Ms. Bouchard.
Unfortunately, taboos still exist when it comes to mental health, so people sometimes take longer to seek help.
“We still think we are weak if we admit to being in distress, underlines the CPS employee. There is still work to be done to eliminate prejudice, but we have nevertheless made a big step forward thanks to awareness. »
Shortage
The Côte-Nord CPS is not greatly affected by the labor shortage as it is in some places, but it still has recruiting difficulties.
Evening and night shifts are less attractive to workers since services are offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
According to Kim Bouchard, the North Shore team, made up of about ten workers, is still doing well, even if a few additional employees would be welcome. “We are lucky to be able to count on a reliable and involved team,” she concludes.
Note that according to provisional data from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec, in 2018, the North Shore recorded 18 suicides, compared to 16 in 2017 and 15 in 2016.
The region has the fourth highest number of suicides recorded in 2018 with a rate of 17.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Gastronomic dinner postponed
Gastronomic dinner postponed
The gourmet dinner, including a 4-course menu concocted by the chef of the restaurant Chez Mathilde de Tadoussac, Jean-Sébastien Sicard, for the benefit of the Suicide Prevention Center of the Côte-Nord, has been postponed to spring due to pandemic measures.
Scheduled for February 4 at Bistro La Marée haute in Baie-Comeau, this fundraising event is in its third edition. The first two dinners raised $37,000 in the organization’s coffers.
“We have no recurring fundraising activity with the exception of this dinner, which has been back since 2019. However, we organize several one-time activities whose profits are injected directly into the service offer and our development projects”, unveils the CPS Côte-Nord communications manager, Kim Bouchard.
The organization will announce the new date of the event in the coming days as well as guidelines for ticket holders. It is still possible to purchase one of the 150 tickets via the online ticket office.
“A discovery menu with local flavors will be served to you,” promises Ms. Bouchard.
