Self-harm rates soar in N.L., more than 3 times national average in some areas
Labrador-Grenfell Health saw the most self-harm injuries in the province
For 53 days, McKenzie Strait hasn't hurt herself.
She's hesitant to say she feels any better today than she did when she was admitted to the Waterford Hospital in St. John's eight weeks ago, but the lack of fresh scars on her skin is a victory in her battle against mental illness.
At 20 years of age, she's one patient out of more than 300 who spent time in a hospital last year due to self-inflicted injuries.
"Self-harm was a way to numb my feelings," Strait said. "Causing actual pain helped alleviate the emotional pain for a little bit."
According to statistics from 2016-2017, Newfoundland and Labrador has a self-harm rate more than 1.5 times higher than the national average.
The data was included in a recent report by Memorial University's Harris Centre, in an annual publication called Vital Signs.
For Strait, those statistics are more than just numbers. They represent many of the people she sees every day.
"People are going into hospital looking for a way to get help."
Canada-wide, 68 out of every 100,000 people were hospitalized due to self-harm. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the average was 105.
Breaking down the numbers further, a shocking statistic jumps out.
Labrador-Grenfell Health, which covers the northern tip of the island and all of Labrador, reported a rate four times the national average.
In St. Anthony, T.J. Smith wasn't shocked by the numbers.
A former junior hockey star-turned-coach in Truro, N.S., Smith returned home to the Northern Peninsula last winter fighting a mental health crisis of his own.
He was hospitalized in Nova Scotia in 2016 when thoughts of suicide and self-harm took control of his life.
"Since I've been back here in January of this year I've noticed some things around here, and no, the stats don't surprise me at all," Smith said.
When he landed in his remote hometown, he saw a small amount of resources and a geographical challenge for anyone seeking access to help. It's a six-hour drive from Corner Brook to St. Anthony, dotted with small communities in between, and only a small hospital in St. Anthony.
This past summer, Smith made a decision to do something about it. He started a peer support group for people to speak about their mental health problems free of judgment.
Every Sunday, they gather in a funeral home — the irony is not lost on the group — and share their stories.
Every Sunday, Smith sees new faces.
"It's growing more than I thought it would," Smith said. "People come in our group and they feel like they don't have to say anything, and before the night's over they're telling us all their history, their stories and things they've been through."
His goal is to complement the services offered by Labrador-Grenfell Health in the region and help people find peace with themselves.
Problems get worse in the North
Further north, issues of suicide and self-harm have been well-publicized in communities all over Labrador.
The neighbour communities of Labrador City and Wabush saw five deaths in eight months over the course of 2016 — nearly half of Labrador's suicides that year.
The ensuing outcry for better services led to the creation of a mental health team, consisting of health care workers, local business leaders and community members.
Labrador-Grenfell Health also added four members to its mental health staff in Labrador City.
Self-harm numbers for 2017-2018 are not yet available, but the health authority pointed to its new measures as progress in curbing self-harm.
On the Avalon Peninsula, Eastern Health saw 83 self-harm hospitalizations per 100,000 people — far less than Labrador Grenfell Health, but still above the national average of 68.
Strait was one of the people hospitalized in 2016-2017, and she will count toward the statistic again when the latest numbers are tallied.
"If people were more able to easily avail of services teaching them coping mechanisms, to be able to talk to people, it would probably lower the rates a lot," she said.
When she first began seeking help for her mental health issues — including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and atypical anorexia — it was difficult to speak with a professional.
Strait ended up seeking help outside the province at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, Ont.
New initiatives seeing success
The self-harm rate has increased dramatically inside Newfoundland and Labrador since 2014-2015, when Stats Canada reported the rate was 74 per 100,000 people.
At the time, it was the highest rate for any province — trailing only the territories.
But according to health officials, things appear to be on the mend inside the province now.
The average wait time for mental health services in St. John's has gone from 21 months to 24 days since implementing a new mental health strategy in 2017, according to Health Minister John Haggie.
Other parts of the province have seen wait times eliminated completely, such as the Burin Peninsula and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
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Creating better access to professionals is a start, but Strait said the level of care needs to match the needs of patients.
"Sure, they have their nurses and doctors to speak to but you're not learning any coping mechanisms to learn how to deal with this," she said. "So people are still in there self-harming because for a lot of people that's the only way they know how to cope."
Smith found an outlet in writing and speaking publicly about his mental illness. It became his method of dealing with feelings of pain and despair as they rushed through his brain.
Despite their differences in age and geography, Smith shares the same thoughts as Strait on where the solution lies for the province's problem with self-inflicted injuries.
"People self-harm mostly because it's a way of coping with their mental anguish," he said. "Educating people on more positive coping mechanisms and coping strategies would be a big step forward in hopefully helping people reducing self-harm."
Where to get help:
Canada Suicide Prevention Service
Toll-free: 1-833-456-4566.
Text: 45645.
Chat: crisisservicescanada.ca.
In French: Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553)
Kids Help Phone:
Toll-free: 1-800-668-6868.
Chat: kidshelpphone.ca.
App: Always There by Kids Help Phone.
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
If you're worried someone you know may be at risk of suicide, you should talk to them about it, says the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Here are some warning signs:
- Suicidal thoughts.
- Substance abuse.
- Purposelessness.
- Anxiety.
- Feelings of being trapped.
- Hopelessness and helplessness.
- Withdrawal.
- Anger.
- Recklessness.
- Mood changes.
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