A group organizing a public meeting to address the rash of teen suicides in Cape Breton says the response they have received from the community has been overwhelming.
The meeting in North Sydney included mental health expert Dr. Stan Kutcher of Halifax and other professional personnel to try and find a solution to what some are calling a crisis
“It's way overdue,” says suicide support advocate Fran Morrison. “But it takes something like this to get people to get up off their butts and do something.”
Morrison’s 21-year-old son took his own life six years ago. She says the recent deaths of three young people in the community has reopened old wounds.
“I sit and I cry every day,” says Morrison. “As soon as I hear about one it brings me right back to when my husband told me Eric was dead.”
Parent Tracey Hilliard says she's worried about the recent deaths in the community. Her son is in Grade 4 and is just beginning to use social media.
“I can remember what my parents would tell me growing up, just walk away, just ignore them,” says Hilliard. “It's not as easy to do that today because wherever you turn on your social media devices it's always there.”
Another meeting is planned for Sydney on Tuesday, in hopes of finding a solution to a problem that some say has been plaguing the community for far too long.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
