Dr. Juveria Zaheer

Dr. Juveria Zaheer has always been interested in people’s stories, and, to her, suicide is the most tragic ending to someone’s story. 

“I think a way of honouring people who have lived through suicidal behaviour, have died by suicide, and their loved ones, is to better understand these stories to create better ways to help,” she says.

Juveria’s interest in acute mental health care and suicide prevention led her to CAMH 13 years ago. Admittedly, she was a bit nervous when she arrived at the CAMH's Gerald Sheff and Shanitha Kachan Emergency Department as a first-year psychiatry resident, however, within minutes she felt right at home. 

“It was such a team-based environment that was really diverse and close-knit, and everyone was all working together to provide the best outcomes for patients,” she says. 

She also remembers being amazed by all the different resources available at CAMH and the range of patients receiving care at the hospital, from geriatrics to addiction and a special unit for women who had experienced trauma. 

“I had never been in a place like that before and thought that there was no better place for me,” she says. 

In her clinical role working in CAMH’s Emergency Department, Juveria supports patients by listening to their stories, providing empathy, connecting them to resources, and showing them they matter and there is hope.

“We often see people on their very worst days,” she says. 

On the research side, Juveria tries to understand the data of suicide, which varies across different groups such as those with schizophrenia, young people, and people from different cultures. 

“We can use data to better understand who’s at risk, and use qualitative research—engaging with people who have had suicide attempts, their families and care providers—to understand their narrative and expertise,” she says. “We then can co-create or co-design interventions that work and provide better care to people.” 

Juveria’s research also looks for evidence that can be used to improve best practices for everyone working in the suicide prevention field. 

“We need to focus on supporting people when they’re having really awful and hard days because it’s not just about finding a drug or access to care,” she says. 

To prevent suicide, she continues, we need to also focus on social determinants of health such as trauma, inequality, oppression and systemic racism. 

Juveria believes it will take all of us to prevent suicide, and CAMH can play a big role.

“At CAMH, I can collaborate with people doing machine-based learning, brain stimulation and providing culturally-based care,” she says. “We’re hoping to change the way people understand suicide and suicide prevention. People often think about suicide as something that is unknowable or a tragedy that we can’t prevent, but we know suicide is a preventable outcome.”

For Juveria, CAMH’s Not suicide. Not today. campaign means working together to create a world where people feel safe, secure and that life is worth living. It means helping people stay safe for one more day, one day at a time.

“CAMH is committed to all aspects of mental health and wellness. There’s a big focus on biology and creating treatments as well as making sure people can access care, including those traditionally ignored by the health-care system. There’s also a commitment to making the world a better place. When you have an organization with experts in suicide prevention across every discipline and that engages with patients and families as equal partners, you can tackle a problem as large as suicide,” she says.

This story was part of our Not suicide. Not today. campaign in 2020.