Teen suicide 3 times higher in Winnipeg's inner city, study shows
‘It’s really not good news ... it's disheartening,' says Point Douglas city councillor
The suicide rate for teens in Winnipeg's inner city is more than three times higher than average, researchers with the University of Manitoba's Rady Faculty of Health Sciences have found.
The data is presented as part of a large, multi-year study titled The mental health of Manitoba's children. The report was released to the public Thursday morning.
Among children aged 13 to 19, Point Douglas and downtown have the highest rate of teen suicide in the city — 156.8 deaths per 100,000 adolescents over the four-year time period of 2009 to 2013. What's more, the rate has risen from the years between 2005 and 2009, when the rate was 139.5 per 100,000.
"It's really not good news … It's disheartening to hear," said Coun. Mike Pagtakhan who has represented Point Douglas for 14 years.
Speaking on Wednesday, the city councillor had not yet read the University of Manitoba report but said the findings relayed to him by CBC are a call to action for politicians.
"There's a need to intervene and ensure these numbers go down," said Pagtakhan. "As decision makers, we ought to be focusing in on the areas that have these higher incidences."
For the city of Winnipeg overall rates of teen suicide are 45.4 per 100,000 from 2009 to 2013 and 41.8 for 2005 to 2009.
"Mental disorders touch children from all corners of our province … and across all socioeconomic levels," said Mariette Chartier, research scientist and community health assistant professor in the University of Manitoba's faculty of health sciences.
"I think the province and society as a whole needs to pay attention to the mental health of our children."
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Winnipeg has 'absolutely failed' inner city
Long-time Point Douglas community advocate and resident, Sel Burrows, said he was not surprised by the higher rates of teen suicide in the inner city.
"We're aware of the pressures on people that cause and influence psychiatric problems," he said.
"The city of Winnipeg has absolutely failed the inner city."
The report's authors noted several contributing factors that influence child mental health. "Poverty and poor housing have a huge impact on children's mental health," a summary reads.
Burrows agrees and said a lack of psychiatric support is only part of the problem for Point Douglas teens.
"It's the lack of recreation, it's the overcrowded housing, it's the substandard housing [and] mothers who've been abandoned by their husbands raising five kids by themselves," he said.
While Winnipeg has one of the highest rates of child poverty in Canada, areas like Point Douglas and downtown face particular challenges.
A 2015 report by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority found Point Douglas and downtown have higher rates of food insecurity and lack affordable housing. The neighbourhoods also have higher rates of teen pregnancy and lower rates of high school graduation than the city average.
Always looking for good ideas
Coun. Pagtakhan said he plans on reading the University of Manitoba report and hopes it will help design better supports for youth.
"We're always looking for good ideas or best practices …. Things that we could implement in short order," he said.
For Burrows, he believes social services and schools could be better at flagging vulnerable young people and taking care of them more swiftly.
"They need to spend more time in the homes working with the moms, identifying the kids that are showing mental health problems, getting that help to them right away," he said.
Also, he recommends making all recreation programs free in Winnipeg.
"The user-pay system the city of Winnipeg has put in place has decimated inner-city recreation programs. There are no teams anymore," he said. "If kids have nothing to do, they're going to get into trouble."
About 12.6 per cent of Canadian children experience a mental disorder. In Manitoba, the researchers found the rate was 14 per cent.
In the province's northern communities, the suicide rate is about three times higher than other parts of the province.
The University of Manitoba researchers offer several recommendations in their new report, including: providing more training to service providers in schools and in the justice system as well as supporting higher-risk children and their families.
The province should work on developing a child and youth mental health strategy, said researcher Mariette Chartier.
"We need to support families that have higher levels of risk," she said.
Manitoba launches StressHacks, a mental health website for kids, teens
Premier Brian Pallister said Thursday his government recognizes the link between low incomes and mental health issues.
"We see the problem, and we recognize it as a severe and very real one. Beyond that, we'll get into the details in the not-too-distant future."
Pallister said one of his grandfathers became a widower and suffered from depression, leaving his daughter — Pallister's mother — to take care of the family.
"From a personal standpoint, I know about the issues around mental health and I know of the stigma that is associated — that has been for far too long — with many aspects of mental-health challenges."
with files from CP