Courageous Voices 26 June 2014Alexandra Culloden
conversationsmatter.com.au
Conversations Matter when discussing suicide in LGBTI communities
Why do Conversations Matter?
Suicide in LGBTI community• Most current statistics come from
studies conducted in the last decade• LGBTI people have significantly
poorer mental health and higher rates of suicide ideation than the general Australian population
• There is currently no population based research on LGBTI completed suicides in Australia
Suicide in LGBTI communityPrivate Lives I (2006):
– 49% of LGBTI men had experienced a major depressive episode– 45% of LGBTI women had experienced a major depressive episode– 16% of all respondents had suicidal ideation in the two weeks prior to the
survey Suicide Prevention Australia (2009):
– 28% LGBTI women have self harmed or attempted suicide compared to 8.3% of heterosexual women
– 20.8% of LGBTI men compared to 5.4% of heterosexual men have self harmedNicholas & Howard (1998)
– bisexual young people had a higher rate of self-harm than their exclusively gay and lesbian-identified peers
Discussing suicideOften there is confusion about what is meant by “discussing” or “talking” about suicide and confusion about the evidence• One-on-one conversations• Large group presentations• Media reporting about suicide deaths• Media reporting about the issue of suicide
Need to ensure that we are not ‘too afraid’ to talk about suicide but also that we understand the risks
What Conversations Matter when working with LGBTI communities?
conversationsmatter.com.au
“I think sometimes people feel shame around suicide,
both people who might have ideas of suicide and those
people who might be affected”
“I think if we were able to have more open conversations about it people might be more willing to ask for help earlier,
or do something about it”
Developing community guidelines for discussing suicide- Conversations MatterFunded by the NSW Ministry of Health under the NSW Suicide Prevention Strategy 2010-2015 Aim:
To develop resources (community guidelines) to guide safe and effective discussion of suicide
What needs to be covered?
• Why? - focus of discussion • Prevention, intervention or postvention
• How? –format of the discussion• One-on-one, small group, wide scale
• Where?- setting• Community, online, family, schools, workplaces
• Who? –target groups for discussions• People who identify as LGBTI, people living in rural and remote areas,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, CALD communities, men, young people (under 25 years), older people (over 65 years), people with a mental illness, carers, people bereaved by suicide
Developing world first resources…where to begin?
ApproachLiterature Review• Review of research evidence• Review and analysis of existing
resources and approaches
Consultations• Service providers and key
informants across four settings• Consultations with community
Core PrinciplesThree review panels (experts, target groups, settings) reviewed a series of ‘principles’ to guide conversations focussed on: prevention, intervention and postvention
Online resources• Community resources for discussing suicide (tailored resources for Aboriginal communities)• Professional resources to support community discussion of suicide
LITERATURE REVIEW
ONLINE RESOURCES• New name and branding for the resources;• Community resources for discussing suicide;• Professional resources to support community discussion of suicide.
CONSULTATIONS
CORE PRINCIPLES Three review panels (experts, target groups, settings) review a series of ‘principles’ to guide prevention-focused, intervention focused, and postvention focused conversations.
• 120 local, national and international approaches were reviewed
• Only 4.2% were specifically targeting people who identify as LGBTI
• Partnered with ACON to hold focus group with 10 participants
• 29% of the 87 remaining focus group participants identified as LGBTI
LGBTI consultations• 10 participants attended session run in partnership with ACON• Key findings:
• All participants agreed that conversations about suicide were important• Conversations were viewed to be occurring more often with young people
than older groups• Stigma and shame were common barriers to having conversations• Campaigns such as ‘RUOK?’ were viewed as good starting points but concerns
were raised as to what happens when someone says “no”• Need for greater awareness and education about risk factors and warning
signs • Risk factors: isolation, lack of support (incl services), experiences of
discrimination, alcohol and other drugs, suicide bereavement
Launching Conversations Matter
Launched by the NSW Minister for Mental Health, the Hon. Kevin Humphries MP on the 14th November 2013
Community resourcesConversations Matter:• When holding group discussions about suicide• When someone is thinking about suicide• When communities are affected by suicide• To those bereaved by suicide• When telling a child about suicide
Each available as a fact sheet, audio podcast and online presentation
When holding group discussion about suicide
When someone is thinking about suicide
When communities are affected by suicide
To those bereaved by suicide
When telling a child about suicide
www.conversationsmatter.com.auwww.himh.org.au
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02 4924 6900
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