Conversations Matter when discussing suicide in LGBTI communities. Presented at the LGBTI Mental Health Conference, Sydney, 26-27 June 2014.

1. Courageous Voices 26 June 2014
Alexandra Culloden
conversationsmatter.com.au

2. Conversations Matter when discussing
suicide in LGBTI communities

3. Why do Conversations Matter?

4. 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

5. Suicide in LGBTI community
Private 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 harmed
Nicholas & Howard (1998)
– bisexual young people had a higher rate of self-harm than their exclusively gay
and lesbian-identified peers

6. Discussing suicide
Often 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

7. What Conversations Matter when working with
LGBTI communities?
conversationsmatter.com.au

8. “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”

9. Developing community guidelines for
discussing suicide- Conversations Matter
Funded 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

10. 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

11. Developing world first resources…where to
begin?

12. Approach
Literature 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 Principles
Three 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

13. 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

15. 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

16. Launching Conversations Matter
Launched by the NSW
Minister for Mental Health,
the Hon. Kevin Humphries
MP on the 14th November
2013

17. Community resources
Conversations 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

18. When holding group discussion about suicide

19. When someone is thinking about suicide

20. When communities are affected by suicide

21. To those bereaved by suicide

22. When telling a child about suicide

23. www.conversationsmatter.com.au
www.himh.org.au
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @HInstMH
alexandra.culloden@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
02 4924 6900