Suicide Prevention
Help is Available
Additional Suicide Prevention and Postvention Organisations
Suicide Prevention Resources and Research
Multilingual Suicide Prevention Resources
General Multilingual Mental Health Resources
Suicide Prevention Policies and Plans
References
Suicide Prevention
Suicide can affect us all. More than one in every 100 deaths worldwide is the result of suicide. In Australia between 2021 and 2022 there was an age-standardised rate of 12.3 deaths per 100,000 population by suicide (Everymind, 2023). The impact of suicide and suicidality can be far reaching and these figures do not necessarily reflect the impact in terms of suicidal behaviour that does not result in death nor the effects on family, carers and loved ones.
A combination of factors contribute to someone considering suicide. Some of the drivers of distress include social isolation, economic pressures and unemployment. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities may experience additional vulnerabilities including challenges with the migration and settlement process such as:
- having escaped war or experienced torture or trauma
- resettlement and acculturation difficulties
- separation from family
- unemployment, financial insecurity, non-recognition of overseas qualifications and
- racism and discrimination.
Some people from CALD communities may be less likely to seek help for mental distress that contributes to suicide risk, due to factors such as language barriers, limited knowledge about available services and resources, stigma, religious and cultural beliefs and concerns about confidentiality.
It is important to remember that the presence of one or more of these risk facts cannot predict or explain suicide, each person is unique.
We can all have an impact on how we support people who may be having thoughts of suicide or experiencing suicidal behaviours within our communities. Suicidal thoughts are complex, however by listening to others and showing we care, encouraging understanding and sharing our own experiences we can all make a difference. Creating environments which support diversity within homes, communities, schools, workplaces, health settings, support networks, and in the broader social domains will contribute to giving people hope and a sense of belonging, which is fundamental to suicide prevention.
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Help is Available
If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, please call 000 or go to your nearest hospital Emergency Department.
Help is available if you, or someone you know, is thinking about suicide or experiencing a personal crisis or distress. Talk to someone you trust about what you are thinking, such as a friend, family member or your GP, or contact one of these services:
NSW Mental Health Line 1800 011 511
A single number, state-wide 24-hour mental health telephone access service.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Provides all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
A nationwide service that provides professional 24/7 telephone and online counselling to people who are affected by suicide.
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
Provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health. www.beyondblue.org.au
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
A free, private and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25.
MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78
A telephone and online support, information and referral service for men.
QLife 1800 184 527
A nationally-oriented counselling and referral service for LGBTI people operating from 3pm to Midnight, every day.
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Additional Suicide Prevention and Postvention Organisations
AISRAP is a national and international suicide prevention research centre. AISRAP conducts public health surveillance, research projects with government, industry and NGOs and provides education and training for health and allied health professionals.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to preventing suicide and suicidal behaviour and to alleviate its effects.
Life in Mind is a knowledge exchange portal providing translated evidence, policy, data and resources in suicide prevention.
The Office is a critical national driver of the work towards zero suicides by ensuring a whole-of-government approach that is informed by lived experience and creates opportunities to respond early and effectively to distress.
Roses in the Ocean is Australia’s national lived experience of suicide organisation. The organisation works to empower individuals to leverage their lived expertise to support communities to better recognise and respond to suicide.
RUOK is a suicide prevention charity in Australia, reminding people that having meaningful conversations with mates and loved ones could save lives.
Standby is focused on supporting anyone who has been bereaved or impacted by suicide at any stage in their life, including individuals, families and friends, witnesses, first responders and service providers.
Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA) provides national leadership for the suicide prevention sector in Australia. SPA works collaboratively to develop a community that knows how to ask for help and how to give help.
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Suicide Prevention Resources
The following resources are designed to assist us to take action to create change around suicide prevention in our CALD communities.
Conversations Matter Resources for discussing suicide
Conversations Matter is a practical online resource to support safe and effective community discussions about suicide. The resources provide practical information for communities and professionals to guide conversations about suicide. Visit the Conversations matter website here.
The Conversations Matter resources include ‘Supporting CALD communities to talk about suicide - a guide for professionals’ which was developed in partnership with Everymind, the Transcultural Mental Health Centre and the Mental Health Commission of NSW to provide practical tips for professionals to refer to when talking about suicide with CALD individuals, families and communities. View Supporting CALD communities to talk about suicide here.
Mindframe is a national program supporting safe media reporting, portrayal and communication about suicide, mental ill-health and alcohol and other drugs.
Mindframe resources include ‘Communicating about suicide’, a guide for media/ communications professionals and the suicide and mental health sector about communicating about suicide.
Minds Together
Minds Together is a free, digital program for family and friends who are supporting someone who has attempted suicide. Minds Together is a free, evidence-based, self-paced, online early intervention program for
family and friends supporting someone who has attempted suicide developed by Everymind. For more information visit the Minds Together website here.
National Communications Charter
Developed by Everymind through its Life in Mind program, the National communications charter (the Charter) is an evidence-informed document to help guide the way mental health and suicide prevention sectors, governments, businesses, communities and individuals communicate about mental health and wellbeing, mental health concerns and suicide.
The Charter guides a united approach to the way we communicate about mental health concerns and suicide. Through a shared commitment and combined actions, we can work together to reduce stigma and discrimination, and communicate in ways that are safe, inclusive and hopeful.
Signing the Charter serves as a formal commitment to use safe and consistent communication about mental health and wellbeing, mental health concerns and suicide. It is an agreement to put the guiding seven principles into practice to reduce stigma, minimise harm and promote help-seeking and help offering.
Find out more about the Charter here.
Suicide in refugees and asylum seekers
Everymind has developed the following resources about suicide in refugees and asylum seekers:
Research
The following articles and research look at suicide incidence and prevention in CALD communities.
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Multilingual Suicide Prevention Resources
Orygen - #chatsafe supporting young people to communicate safely online about self-harm and suicide
Information about how to talk safely online about suicide.
- #chatsafe for parents and carers – Available in Arabic, English, French, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified, Greek, Italian, Khmer, Korean, Norwegian, Punjabi, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. www.orygen.org.au/chatsafe/Resources/chatsafe-for-parents-and-carers
- #chatsafe global – Available in Chinese (Hong Kong), English, English(Canada), English (Nigeria), English (Singapore), Finnish, French (Canada), Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Mexico), Swedish. www.orygen.org.au/chatsafe/Resources/International-guidelines
- #chatsafe for educators - Available in Arabic, Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English (Australia), English (Nigeria), English (Singapore), English (UK), English (US), Finnish, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Swahili, Swedish and Urdu. www.orygen.org.au/chatsafe/Resources/chatsafe-for-educators
Queensland Health - Supporting a person in your community who is suicidal
Available in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, Farsi (Persian), German, Hakka, Hazaragi, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Karen, Korean, Māori, Nepali, Polish, Punjabi, Rohingya, Russian, Samoan, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Thai, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.
metrosouth.health.qld.gov.au/qtmhc/programs-and-services/cald-suicide-prevention
Standby - Suicide loss support resources for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities
StandBy has developed two translated resource packs, to support those bereaved and impacted by suicide in Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese languages. The leaflets aim to assist service providers in better understanding and meeting the mental health and grief support needs of culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia. The resources were translated by SBS in Language translators and reviewed by the Transcultural Mental Health Centre for cultural suitability and safety. View and download the resources here.
What to do if you feel that you or a loved one are at risk of suicide.
Available in Arabic, Chinese – simplified, Chinese -traditional, English, Filipino, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. thiswayup.org.au/coping-and-resilience-tools/multilingual-resources
Walking Together: Mental Health in NSW's Multicultural Communities
The Walking Together video is a resource developed by the Mental Health Commission of New South Wales highlighting the experience of mental illness within NSW’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities, as well as local leaders’ ideas to increase help-seeking and prevent suicide among community members.
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General multilingual mental health resources
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health multilingual mental health resource
Suicide Prevention Policies and Plans
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Populations Policy Position Statement December 2021
Suicide Prevention Australia has developed a policy position about culturally and linguistically diverse communities suicide prevention. www.suicidepreventionaust.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Final-CALD-Position-Paper.pdf
Strategic Framework for Suicide Prevention in NSW 2022-2027
The updated Strategic Framework for Suicide Prevention in NSW 2022-2027 provides key directions for a five-year, whole-of-government approach to support a whole-of-community response to suicide prevention across NSW. www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/Pages/suicide-prevention-strategic-framework.aspx
Towards Zero Suicides
The Towards Zero Suicides initiatives seek to provide leading best practice crisis care and support, build on local community resilience and improve systems and practices to reduce the suicide rate in NSW. www.health.nsw.gov.au/towardszerosuicides/Pages/default.aspx
National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan
This sets out the Australian Government’s commitment to supporting mental health and suicide prevention for all Australians. www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/the-australian-governments-national-mental-health-and-suicide-prevention-plan
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References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2023) Suicide & Self-harm Monitoring. https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring <viewed 14 July 2023>
TMHC acknowledges those who have experience of suicide including those who have attempted suicide and those bereaved by suicide.