The BC Coroners Service has released an updated report on the rate of suicide-related deaths to the end of 2017.
Spokesman Andy Watson says the numbers decreased over 2017 compared to the previous 3 years:
" While we are still seeing 572 deaths reported that were suicides in 2017, it is down from what we were seeing as totals over 600 in 2014, 2015 and 2016. So a downward trend is a positive sign, but obviously with 572 deaths in one year there is still work to be done."
More than 75% of the deaths involved males, with half of those aged 30 to 60. Almost 4% of the deaths involved young people under 18 years of age.
Watson says there's a public duty to releasing the numbers, because suicides are infrequently reported, and it helps people understand these deaths are happening:
"That's why we put this out every year. We feel that there's a public duty to doing that. And yes, it's down slightly. But it's just like the illicit drug toxicity deaths. Yes, it's down month over month, and year over year -- but there's still a number of people dying, right? So we've got to keep working on that."
Anyone experiencing depressions, or having suicidal thoughts is urged to seek help through services like the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre.
Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC:https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/
Suicide Deaths in B.C. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/suicide.pdf