Every life: The Queensland Suicide Prevention Plan 2019-2029 (Every life) was launched on World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2019, by the Hon Dr Steven Miles, Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services.

Every life, a renewed whole-of-government approach to suicide prevention, outlines Queensland Government led actions which aim to bring about a meaningful reduction in suicide over the next decade. Actions will engage government, non-government, community and private sectors partners. The plan, informed by extensive consultation with a broad range of stakeholders including people with a lived experience, is built across four areas:

• •             Building resilience by improving wellbeing in our people and communities
• •             Reducing vulnerability by strengthening support to vulnerable people
• •             Enhancing responsiveness to suicidality
• •             Working together to achieve more

Every life recognises that suicide is preventable and emphasises the vital importance of working together to reduce suicide. It acknowledges that effective suicide prevention requires responses beyond health services and must incorporate the voices of people with lived experience.

Understanding that change will take time, Every life is a 10-year plan with three distinct phases. Each phase will be reviewed and refreshed, with the second and third phases building on achievements and learnings from the previous phase.

Phase One has been backed by an $80.1 million commitment as part of the 2019 Queensland Budget, with investments in initiatives including mental health supports in schools, enhancements to crisis care, and community-led approaches to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicide prevention.

We are pleased to be able to say that we may be having some influence in how we think about suicide. As a result of people reading the Bulletin, we are being approached from people around the country to discuss and publicise our views. Two recent examples:

1. September 2 we were featured in the Mercury (Hobart) newspaper https://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-suicide-is-about-more-than-mental-illness/news-story/4eb34e82c4a90713e9910177d39614d2 You can access through the MHIRC Facebook link https://www.facebook.com/westsydumhirc

Talking Point: Suicide is about more than mental illness

2. September 12 - a radio interview for Dads on the Air [to be aired Sept 12]

Contents of this issue:

Publicity of the Situational Approach

Social Determinants of Mental Health

Men’s Mental Health

Harm from antidepressants

Read the full article here

Welcome to the ninth edition of our Situational Approach to Suicide Prevention Bulletin.We welcome feedback, and would of course be very happy to have a conversation with any people or organisations who are working in this vital area.

The Situational Approach - A new approach to suicide prevention: This approach acknowledges the predominant association of situational distress, rather than mental illness, with suicide (though in some cases the two are linked), and is principally informed by and responds to risk factors of a broad spectrum of difficult human experiences across the life span. This approach is also mindful of and wherever possible seeks to address: contextual, systemic, and socio-cultural risk and protective factors and determinants: the real world of individuals’ lived experience.

The approach is being promoted by Mengage at MHIRC (WSU) and we welcome the words of the newly appointed National Suicide Prevention Adviser, Ms, Christine Morgan, quoted in the SMH (July 15^th) as saying:

"We have to look further upstream, right away from the immediate suicide crisis. Are there things happening to people that we can work on that might stop them. Let's take ourselves outside health and look at some of the other risk factors and see if by addressing those we get some change."

MHIRC runs a drop in centre for Suicide prevention in Western Sydney on this basis and is looking for other projects with this approach.

The Situational Approach Bulletin is published monthly on Mengage.

Contents of this issue:

1. International confirmation of key tenets of the ‘Situational Approach’
2. UN statement challenging ‘biomedical model of ‘mental health’
3. Belgium – Superior Health Council
4. PsychWatch

• Latest blogs
• Seven year old girl on antidepressants

Also

In our Words - Charles

Read the full article here 

Contents of this issue:

Mortality of People Using Mental Health system and Prescription Medications

Medicalisation-nation: Australia’s growing public policy dependence on drugs

Primary Health Networks caught between a rock and a hard place

How big pharma gets what it wants

Mental Health Concerns Not “Brain Disorders,” Say Researchers

Launch of Mad in Sweden

In Our Words - Buddy

Read the full content here

Contents of this issue:

Creating a National Data Matrix – for Effective Situational Suicide Prevention

A ‘Situational Approach’ to Mental Health Literacy in Australia

'Pathways to despair : a study of male suicide (aged 25-44)

Suicide Deaths and Employment Status

• UN Paper
• Sir Michael Marmot visits Mt Druitt Shed
• The Situational Approach –Deficits of the Current Approach
• Dr John Ashfield feature in newsletter NSW The Country Web 

Contents of this issue:

Men’s Health Week: 2019

The Situational Approach on the International Stage

GP training in the UK

Mental Health and Children

- The alarming impact of the diagnostically-based paradigm of care on children

- Antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children

Suicidality in Children and Adolescents Being Treated With Antidepressant Medications

“Mental Health Awareness” and Schoolchildren

Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Literacy - ADVOCATING FOR A NE W MUL TI-SECTOR AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

Read Full article here

Situational Approach to Suicide Prevention MHIRC. WSU ed Anthony Smith - Bulletin no. 4

Contents of this issue:

A Strong Mission Statement for Mad In the UK

Community-led solutions are key to reducing Aboriginal youth suicide

Meta-analysis Finds Asking About Suicidal Thoughts Does Not Predict Suicide

Scholars Respond to the APA’s Guidance for Treating Men and Boys

Leadership coming from the Sporting Journalism

The Shed – Mt Druitt: In Our Words

Read the full article here

Welcome to the third edition of our Situational Approach to Suicide Prevention Bulletin. We are hopeful of a big 2019; certainly the response to the Situational Approach on the international stage is very encouraging.

Contents of this issue:

• The Situational Approach on the International Stage

• Suicide and mental disorders: A discourse of politics, power, and vested interests
• Communications and mass media – suicide prevention and mental health literacy 

Australia has been in the grips of a national veterinarian shortage as vets leave the profession due to long working hours, "emotional blackmail" and prolonged stress. Read more here. 

"The recognition of AOD abuse as a mental illness remains poorly understood by the public and policy makers..."

The Life Framework (Living Is For Everyone) is a program based in WA that aims to support people in life with a significant evidence base.

The LIFE Framework is a National Suicide Prevention Strategy project managed by Crisis Support Services on behalf of the Department of Health and Ageing. The project aims to improve access to suicide and self-harm prevention activities in Australia through the promotion of the LIFE resources and website and improve communication between suicide prevention stakeholders in Australia.

The Ripple Effect is part of beyondblue's STRIDE Project. It investigates what works to reduce self-stigma and perceived stigma among males from the farming community ages 30-64 years, who have either lost someone to suicide, attempted suicide, had thoughts of suicide, have cared for someone who has attempted suicide, or have been affected by suicide in some way.

This booklet contains information for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous health professionals, community leaders and key community members seeking to gain better knowledge about suicide prevention in Aboriginal communities. 

Life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men is on average 11 years shorter, and they suffer worse health outcomes than Non-Indigenous men. MENGAGE fully supports the work of John Ashfield, PhD improving efforts in suicide prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.

The MATES in Construction charity was established by The Building Employees Redundancy Trust (BERT) in 2008 to reduce suicide in the construction industry and improve the mental health and wellbeing of Queensland construction workers. It has since become available in NSW, SA and WA.

Middle age is often reported as a time of particular stress for men (and women). The combination of rising stresses imposed by dynamics around careers, family, personal life experiences and many other factors can contribute to a feeling of being 'stuck by your choices' - too hard to change direction yet still so much to live for.

"Improved mental health literacy, accessibility of services and resources, and coordinated initiatives that encourage help-seeking remain central to minimising the risk of suicide..."

"Suicide kills six men a day in Australia. It is the leading killer of men and boys under 45 and claims more lives than road traffic accidents..."