The McGill Group for Suicide Studies (MGSS) conducts life-course epidemiological research to understand how suicidal distress develops from childhood to adulthood. Our work relies on large prospective cohorts drawn from both the general and clinical populations in Quebec, Canada, and internationally, integrating questionnaires, medical records, interviews, and biospecimens. We examine how suicidal distress emerges and changes over time, identify modifiable risk and protective factors, investigate how these factors interact with individual biological predispositions and social environments, and study how vulnerable people use health and mental-health services. This research identifies pathways to suicide, opportunities for early intervention, and strategies to improve services and inform public-health prevention efforts across the life course.
Researchers: Marie-Claude Geoffroy, Massimiliano Orri