Suicide is a complex issue. This indicator is focused on thoughts of suicide, not attempts or gestures.[1] Students who report thoughts of suicide may be experiencing one or more of the following:
- A serious physical or mental illness
- Problems with drugs or alcohol
- A major loss, such as the death of a loved one
- Major life changes
- Social isolation or lack of a support network
- Family violence[1]
| Youth who report thoughts of suicide in the last year |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks students how often in the last year they seriously thought about suicide. Students who respond “sometimes,” “often” or “always” are classified as having thoughts of suicide. Key FindingsThe percentage of students who reported thoughts of suicide remained stable across the three Youth Survey cycles. Gender differences exist across both grades, however these differences were more pronounced among grade 10 students. Thoughts of suicide were reported by considerably more non-binary students than female or male students. Data over time and at the municipal level can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated August 2, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response and recall bias. It should be noted that this measure does not provide information on the number of suicides or attempted suicides.
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[1] BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit. (n.d.). Intentional self-harm. Available at: http://www.injuryresearch.bc.ca/docs/3_20070207_124936intentional%20self%20harm%20factsheet%20final.pdf