Preventing and reducing the risk of suicide

If this is an emergency, or if you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call the Provincial Mental Health Crisis Line toll-free at 1-888-429-8167 or call 911. Or go to your nearest hospital or emergency department.

For less urgent situations, support for mental health, addiction and wellbeing is available for children, youth and adults.

Talking about suicide

Using helpful and respectful language to talk about suicide decreases stigma and makes it easier for people to get help. The Government of Canada has a guide about safe language and messages for suicide prevention.

Read more: Language Matters – Safe Language and Messages for Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention and life promotion

There are different terms used when talking about preventing suicide.

“Suicide prevention” focuses on reducing the risk of suicide. 

“Suicide intervention” is acute care for someone who is in crisis.

“Life promotion” is a broader term. It includes factors that help people build resilience before a crisis happens. Using the term “life promotion” can reduce the risk of suicide by empowering people to lead safe and fulfilling lives.

Suicide prevention and risk reduction framework

Nova Scotia’s framework for preventing and reducing the risk of suicide outlines government’s plan to address this important public health issue. The plan, approved in 2020, calls for collaborative action across sectors to reduce the risk of suicide in the province.

The framework acknowledges that the causes of suicide are complex. It includes 20 recommendations organized into 6 areas:

• improving suicide-related data monitoring and evaluation
• identifying and supporting populations at risk
• strengthening health system capacity
• extending access to services and supports in the community
• addressing targeted social issues that increase risk
• strengthening upstream prevention

Read the framework: Preventing and Reducing the Risk of Suicide – A Framework for Nova Scotia (PDF 543 kB)

Suicide data

It’s important to note that data related to deaths by suicide can be confusing and difficult to interpret for people who aren’t involved in data research.

Data from the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service is available to the public and is updated monthly. It’s presented in these tables:

• Annual suicide fatality rate per 100,000 population
• Annual suicide fatality rate per 100,000 population over time
• Monthly frequencies of suicide deaths  
• Annual frequencies of suicide death by suicide method
• Mean annual suicide rate per 100,000 population by age group and sex

Annual deaths by suicide in Nova Scotia

Year	Deaths by suicide	Suicide mortality rate per 100,000 population
2021	143	14.4
2020	121	12.3
2019	137	14.1
2018	140	14.6
2017	138	14.5
2016	134	14.2
2015	135	14.4
2014	113	12
2013	115	12.2
2012	126	13.4
2011	114	12.1
2010	103	10.9

Note: Data is from the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service. Numbers are subject to change as case investigations are ongoing.

Statistics Canada also has reliable suicide data, but it can be delayed in compared to the Nova Scotia data. Statistics Canada’s data can be useful for comparing Nova Scotia to other parts of the country.

We know that each death is more than just a number and some segments of the population are disproportionately affected by suicide. There is emerging data related to the social determinants of health and the risk factors for suicide. Data needs to be informed by the community it comes from.

The rate of death from suicide for Mi’kmaq men aged 20-39 is 9 times higher than the general male population of the same age. The Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia have been working together for over a decade to understand and own their health data. The Tui’kn Partnership has developed the Mi’kmaq Client Linkage Registry (MCLR), a population registry that provides communities with a range of population-level health data.

See all Tui’kn Partnership health bulletins : Health Information Bulletins (Tui'kn Partnership)