MANY people want to do more to prevent suicide in their communities, according to research, but don’t know how.
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A new campaign, launched today, aims to equip people with the skills and confidence to ask someone if they are having thoughts about suicide.
#YouCanTalk involves national mental health and suicide prevention organisations such as beyondblue, Black Dog Institute, Everymind, headspace, Lifeline, ReachOut and R U OK?
Locally, organisations such as Murray Primary Health Network are supporting the initiative.
Murray PHN chief executive Matt Jones said the evidence and information was clear: “We need to be reaching out and encouraging people to talk.”
He said the campaign complemented suicide prevention programs being trialled in the PHN’s region.
Data from the National Coronial Information System 2017 for central Victorian organisations HALT and the Macedon Ranges Suicide Prevention Action Group showed Mount Alexander, Central Goldfields and Macedon Ranges shires had higher rates of suicide per 100,000 people than seven other regional municipalities, including Greater Bendigo.
MRSPAG chair Noelene Ward said difficulties accessing services in regional centres could be one of the contributing factors.
Another could be a lack of support in people’s day-to-day lives.
Ms Ward said it was “brilliant” there was a national campaign encouraging people to reach out.
Aid for #YouCanTalk
GRASSROOTS organisations have embraced the idea of a national suicide prevention campaign, which encourages discussions about mental health.
#YouCanTalk aims to equip people with the knowledge and confidence to safely ask someone about their risk of suicide if they notice signs family or friends are not themselves or appear deeply troubled.
Beyondblue, Black Dog Institute, Everymind, headspace, Lifeline, ReachOut and R U OK? are among the mental health and suicide prevention organisations leading the national initiative.
Jeremy Forbes said two of the central Victorian organisations he was involved in – HALT and The ELM Network – could support #YouCanTalk at a local level.
“We will be the vanguard for pushing this out into grassroots community and promoting it,” he said.
“All community groups need to be hearing about this campaign. We need to help facilitate this and take it out as a resource when doing community engagement.”
Both Hope Assistance Local Tradies, or HALT, and The Every Life Matters Network, or ELM Network, list suicide prevention as one of their aims.
An annual walk is one of the key tools the Suicide Prevention Awareness Network Bendigo and central Victoria, or SPAN, uses to help raise awareness of the impact and incidence of suicide in the region.
The event exists to ensure the issue is not hidden and to encourage community members to look after each another and seek support.
SPAN co-founder and spokesperson Alannah McGregor was supportive of #YouCanTalk.
“Often the hardest part is people sometimes know they need help, they just don’t know how to ask for it,” she said.
She was hopeful the campaign would encourage people to have discussions and to seek support.
Ms McGregor said there were lots of educational resources available for people seeking to learn more, such as Mental Health First Aid and The ELM Network’s SafeTALK.
SafeTALK provides community education about suicide intervention.
Local initiatives support #YouCanTalk
Central Victorian organisations have welcomed a national campaign to encourage people to safely discuss suicide.
It comes as data from the National Coronial Information System 2017 for central Victorian organisations HALT and the Macedon Ranges Suicide Prevention Action Group showed suicide rates per 100,000 people were above the national average in Greater Bendigo, Macedon Ranges, Central Goldfields and Mount Alexander from 2001 – 2015.
Males accounted for the majority of the deaths, and were three times more likely to die by suicide than females. Females however, were three times more likely to attempt suicide.
HALT and MRSPAG use the data to inform community-based suicide prevention programs.
Jenny Singe of Bendigo Community Health Services and headspace Bendigo said the number of people seeking assistance for mental health concerns far outnumbered those who had taken their own lives, and was hopeful the #YouCanTalk campaign would encourage people to keep supporting one another.
GRASSROOTS organisations have embraced the idea of a national suicide prevention campaign, which encourages discussions about mental health.
#YouCanTalk aims to equip people with the knowledge and confidence to safely ask someone about their risk of suicide if they notice signs family or friends are not themselves or appear deeply troubled.
Beyondblue, Black Dog Institute, Everymind, headspace, Lifeline, ReachOut and R U OK? are among the mental health and suicide prevention organisations leading the national initiative.
Jeremy Forbes said two of the central Victorian organisations he was involved in – HALT and The ELM Network – could support #YouCanTalk at a local level.
“We will be the vanguard for pushing this out into grassroots community and promoting it,” he said.
“All community groups need to be hearing about this campaign. We need to help facilitate this and take it out as a resource when doing community engagement.”
Both Hope Assistance Local Tradies, or HALT, and The Every Life Matters Network, or ELM Network, list suicide prevention as one of their aims.
An annual walk is one of the key tools the Suicide Prevention Awareness Network Bendigo and central Victoria, or SPAN, uses to help raise awareness of the impact and incidence of suicide in the region.
The event exists to ensure the issue is not hidden and to encourage community members to look after each another and seek support.
SPAN co-founder and spokesperson Alannah McGregor was supportive of #YouCanTalk.
“Often the hardest part is people sometimes know they need help, they just don’t know how to ask for it,” she said.
She was hopeful the campaign would encourage people to have discussions and to seek support.
Ms McGregor said there were lots of educational resources available for people seeking to learn more, such as Mental Health First Aid and The ELM Network’s SafeTALK.
SafeTALK provides community education about suicide intervention.
Services that can respond in a crisis
If you or someone you know needs urgent support, talk to someone you trust or contact a crisis support service listed below:
- Lifeline - 13 11 14; www.lifeline.org.au
- beyondblue - 1300 224 636; www.beyondblue.org.au
- Suicide Call Back Service - 1300 659 467; www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
- MensLine Australia - 1300 789 978; www.mensline.org.au
- QLife - 1800 184 527 (3pm – 12am); www.qlife.org.au
Young people:
- Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800; www.kidshelpline.com.au
- headspace – 1800 650 890; www.headspace.org.au
- ReachOut.com – www.au.reachout.com
Education and resources:
- Life in Mind – www.lifeinmindaustralia.com.au
- Head to Health – www.headtohealth.gov.au
- ReachOut.com – www.au.reachout.com
- SANE Australia Forums – www.saneforums.org
- E-safety Commission – www.esafety.gov.au
In an emergency, call 000.