Students at Centennial College Story Arts Centre hosted a yellow-themed event to raise awareness towards mental health issues, and to fundraise for a Newfoundland school’s “friendship bench” Wednesday, March 27.
The University of Toronto has been under fire for the past week after a student took his life March 17.
Dealing with suicide – and the language used to describe it when informing passengers of service interruptions – has been an evolution for the TTC.
TTC commuters are accustomed to delays on the subway, which are sometimes caused by suicides on the tracks. Though for most commuters the announcement might result in being late for work or school, some have the misfortune of witnessing a suicide. This can translate into either shock or trauma. People suffering in the aftermath of witnessing suicides have found refuge in online forums, with many coalescing on Reddit. The social media forum features posts from witnesses to TTC suicides.
According to the Tema Conter Memorial Trust — a charity that provides support to military and emergency services workers — nearly 30 first responder suicides were reported across Canada from April to early November.
Between 7 p.m. Nov. 10 and 11 a.m. Nov. 11, the TTC saw three suicide attempts. Ashleigh Dalton of Toronto Public Health said November and December are strongly linked to seasonal depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder.