I can't speak for Canada but the American unemployment system is broken like the rest of them are. It won't pay enough for a lot of people. I know more than one person who wouldn't get it at all after they got screwed over on an appeal which meant that they had to pay back what they were already sent, often many weeks later. If it's not paid back then you just won't receive unemployment until it is.

There's also fields it can be hard to break in to. They tend to be small and insular so getting a bad rep from one can blackball you from your dreams. Doubly so or more if you're a women or otherwise not a straight white Christian guy.

Cutting is also not an uncommon mental health issue. With any number of other things weighing down it can easily become a more reasonable seeming option.

There's a whole world of experiences out there. A lot of people are desensitized to things you'd probably find outlandish.