We are extremely sad to learn of yet another teen death by suicide. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of this young girl from Quebec. Read the article about this 15 year-old's struggle with being bullied and the sad outcome of her situation here, courtesy of The Edmonton Journal.
While it is important to publicly discuss and address the issues surrounding suicide, we also want people to be using the correct language when doing so. When someone dies by suicide, the media often states that the individual has "committed suicide." The Executive Director of The Support Network addresses why the word "commit" should be avoided when talking about suicide in a response to The Edmonton Journal's article. Below is her response to the Journal's article:
I am writing to respond to the article in the Thursday, December 1st edition of The Edmonton Journal titled “Quebec teen commits suicide after years of bullying”. As an organization that specializes in crisis management and suicide prevention and bereavement, we work to lift the silence on suicide and remove the stigma.
One thing that continues to thwart our efforts is language used by the public and media when reporting on the tragedy of losing yet another Canadian to suicide. Suicide is not a crime, therefore, the word commit is not the appropriate language. By saying a person commits suicide we are implying that they have committed a crime or a sin. Some would support this notion, however, this only serves to continue the stigma and the isolation of those impacted by suicide. We believe people should be defined by their life, not their death.
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Those who consider suicide are seeking help. If you are, or know someone who is thinking of suicide call the Distress Line at 780-482-4357. We are here for you to listen when life hurts.
Additional Support Network crisis services can be accessed through CrisisSupportCentre.com
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