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Canada's suicide crisis helpline, 9-8-8, is seeing high uptake from Canadians as more people learn about the service and reach out for help.
The service, established in November 2023, saw a 39 per cent increase in calls received and an 18 per cent increase in texts received between June 2024 and June 2025, according to numbers released this week. It has answered 593,202 calls and texts since it was introduced, excluding calls and texts routed to Quebec.
Suicide rates in Canada have remained stable in recent years, but Dr. Allison Crawford, the helpline's chief medical officer, says the numbers show how many Canadians are in need of support.
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"We are seeing the numbers grow," said Crawford, who is also a professor at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health. "And that is very encouraging in the sense that although people who reach out are in distress, at least the service is there and willing and wanting to respond to people."
The hotline receives the most calls and texts in the evening.
In Canada, about 12 people die by suicide every day, or about 4,500 a year, according to data from Statistics Canada. Suicide rates are around three times higher among men compared to women, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 34. The highest rate is among men ages 50 to 64, at 25.9 per 100,000 people.
Hospitalization rates associated with self-inflicted injury were generally higher among women and girls. Most notably, female youth between 10 and 19 saw by far the highest rate of self-harm that required hospitalization, much higher than their male counterparts (187 compared to 43 per 100,000 people).
Dr. Mark Sinyor, a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and associate professor at the University of Toronto, said there is evidence that national hotlines are "incredibly important for suicide prevention."
He pointed to a recent U.S. study that found 98 per cent of national lifeline callers found their experience helpful and 90 per cent believed it saved their lives.
"People who are thinking of suicide need to know that they are not alone, that we care about them, and that, if they are struggling, they should reach out," he said.
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To that effect, 9-8-8 has launched a campaign called "Just in Case" as part of World Suicide Prevention Month.
"No amount of distress is too little," Crawford said, adding that people can also call or text if they're worried about someone else.
"Sometimes there are signs and sometimes we don't know what people are suffering with silently," she said. "And by being open, by asking, by listening, by having conversations, that is a way that we can use our social connection as suicide prevention."
Part of the reason 9-8-8 was established is because it's easy to remember and quick to access. The hope is that the number can become as ubiquitous in the public consciousness as 9-1-1.
"This isn't just about it is about individual distress, it's an important shift of taking a public health approach to suicide," Crawford said.
"But it's also about understanding that as a social priority, it's one that we all have a role to play."