AUSTRALIA’S national mental health and suicide prevention organisations are teaming up to help people gain the skills and confidence to check in with someone they are concerned about.
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The #YouCanTalk campaign, which launches today, provides resources, guidance and support to safely talk about suicide in a bid to save lives.
This includes recognising the signs that someone may be thinking of suicide, how to talk about it openly and honestly, and what to do if someone says they are not coping and need support.
“Australia has world-leading suicide prevention services and we want to ensure people who need them access them. However, the reality is, not everyone will seek help themselves – they may firstly disclose their need to family and friends,” Lifeline chief executive, Bob Gilkes said.
#YouCanTalk aims to mobilise the community and empower family and friends to act as ‘eyes and ears’ to ensure their loved ones can get support before reaching crisis point.
A survey of more than 3000 people in Australia found many wanted to do more to prevent suicide in their communities, but didn’t know how.
Half of all respondents believed only mental health professionals could help prevent suicide, and 40 per cent of people were concerned talking about suicide made things worse.
“Our message is this: #YouCanTalk about suicide. Half the population think that they can’t. We are on a mission to partner with the community to prevent suicide in this country,” beyondblue chief executive, Georgie Harman said.
R U OK? chief executive, Brendan Maher said people knew their friends and family best and were best-placed to have open conversations with them and help them find the right support if something wasn’t right.
Headspace chief executive, Jason Trethowan said suicide was not a silent killer.
“There are signs that we can all look out for, particularly when it comes to young people, who have a range of life stresses that may be masking something deeper,” he said.
ReachOut chief executive, Jono Nicholas said the more #YouCanTalk about suicide with your friends and family in an open, honest and empathetic way, the more lives we can save.
Black Dog Institute director, Professor Helen Christensen said evidence showed it was not harmful to ask someone if they were thinking about taking their own life, or to find out if they had made a plan.
“In fact, it could help. It’s important that we all know the facts about suicide and our prevention efforts are informed by what the research tells us,” she said.
Everymind director, Jaelea Skehan acknowledged suicide was an issue many found difficult to talk about.
“But it is an issue that is having major impacts on communities across Australia. #YouCanTalk is about giving people the confidence to have the conversation by connecting them to the tools that can support them,” she said.
A total of 2866 people died by suicide in Australia in 2016.
Signs someone might be at risk of suicide include:
- Withdrawing from friends, family and social activities.
- Change in their mood or extreme mood swings – sadness, agitation.
- Disinterest in maintaining personal hygiene or appearance.
- Uncharacteristically reckless behaviour, including increasing alcohol or drug use.
The organisations involved in the campaign recommended people:
- Let their friend or loved one know they had noticed they were behaving differently;
- Ask, “Are you having thoughts about suicide?” if they were uncertain and felt their friend or loved one might be at risk of taking their own life. Be prepared for the answer to be yes. Then listen with empathy and without judgement.
- Make sure they’re safe for now and support them to seek help.
The organisations involved in the campaign recommended people don’t:
- Don’t try to talk them out of suicide by reminding them ‘what they’ve got going for them’ or how much it would hurt their friends and family.
- Don’t try to fix their problems.
- Don’t dismiss it as ‘attention seeking’. Take them seriously and acknowledge the reasons they want to die.
If you or someone you know needs urgent support, talk to someone you trust or contact a crisis support service, such as beyondblue on 1300 22 46 36, Lifeline on 13 11 14.
In an emergency, call 000.
