Mark Sinyor

MSc, MD, FRCPC
Associate Scientist, Psychiatrist
mark.sinyor@sunnybrook.ca

Research Assistant:

Anjali Hardial
Phone: 416-480-4070
Email: anjali.hardial@sunnybrook.ca

Dr. Sinyor is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, Staff Psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and lead of Sunnybrook’s Suicide Prevention Research Collaborative (SPRC). He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles on the topic of suicide. His research focuses mainly on population-level strategies for suicide prevention with an emphasis on how media messaging impacts suicide. He also conducts studies of coroner records of suicide deaths in Ontario as well as a small number of clinical trials. Dr. Sinyor is the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s “Partnerships for Life” lead for the Americas. He is lead author of the Canadian Psychiatric Association guidelines on responsible media reporting about suicide. He has also created a free mental health literacy curriculum that teaches middle schoolers coping skills and distress managements while reading “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” in English language. The curriculum has been used by thousands of young people worldwide.

Education

  • Hon. B.Sc., 2002, Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
  • M.Sc., 2003, Chemistry, University of Toronto
  • MD, 2007, Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada

Appointments & Affiliations

  • Associate Scientist, Sunnybrook Research Institute,
  • Staff Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre,
  • Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto,
  • Full Member, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto,

Research Foci

  • Coroner-based research
  • Media studies
  • Mood disorders
  • Placebo effects
  • School-based interventions
  • Suicide prevention

Publications

Affiliated Labs & Programs

Selected Publications

  1. Sinyor M, Men VY, Chan PPM, Sanchez Morales D, Levitt AJ, Schaffer A. Long-Term Impact of the Bloor Viaduct Suicide Barrier on Suicides in Toronto: A Time-Series Analysis: Effet à long terme de la barrière anti-suicide du viaduc Bloor sur les suicides à Toronto : une analyse chronologique. Can J Psychiatry. 2024. doi: 10.1177/07067437241293978.

  2. Sinyor M, Silverman M, Pirkis J, Hawton K. The effect of economic downturn, financial hardship, unemployment, and relevant government responses on suicide. Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(10):e802-e806.

  3. Chow S, Men VY, Zaheer R, Schaffer A, Triggs C, Spittal MJ, Elliott M, Schaffer D, Vije M, Jayakumar N, Sinyor M. Suicide on the Toronto Transit Commission subway system in Canada (1998-2021): a time-series analysis. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2024;34:100754.

  4. Sinyor M, Ekstein D, Prabaharan N, Fiksenbaum L, Vandermeer C, Schaffer A, Pirkis J, Heisel MJ, Goldstein BI, Redelmeier DA, Taylor P, Niederkrotenthaler T. Changes in Media Reporting Quality and Suicides Following National Media Engagement on Responsible Reporting of Suicide in Canada: Changements de la Qualité des reportages dans les médias sur les suicides suite à l'engagement des médias nationaux à la déclaration responsable du suicide au Canada. Can J Psychiatry. 2024;69(5):358-368.

  5. Sinyor M, Mallia E, de Oliveira C, Schaffer A, Niederkrotenthaler T, Zaheer J, Mitchell R, Rudoler D, Kurdyak P. Emergency department visits for self-harm in adolescents after release of the Netflix series '13 Reasons Why'. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2022;56(11):1434-1442.

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