2. Suicide prevention

About suicide

Suicide is the act of purposely ending one’s life. It is a public health issue that affects all ages and deeply impacts individuals, families, workplaces and communities across Australia.

However, it is important to know that suicide can be prevented, and everyone including governments and communities, has a role to play.

To support this, accurate and up-to-date information about suicide is needed to inform coordinated and consistent policy, planning and practice. Enabling access to information about the data; research and evidence; what is happening nationally, at a state or territory level and in our local area; and what groups are disproportionately impacted by suicide, ensures efforts are able to be directed in an evidence-based and informed way.

Life in Mind is funded as part of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program and aims to increase awareness and understanding of best-practice in suicide prevention to encourage application to practice, collaboration and sharing of evidence-based information.

If you or someone you care about is experiencing personal distress or crisis, there are many ways you can get help
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In this section

Understanding suicide

The reasons people take their own lives are complex. There is no single reason why a person attempts or dies by suicide. It is often not preceded by a single event or condition and is more likely to arise from an interaction between many vulnerabilities and risk factors in a person’s life.

Communicating about suicide

Talking about suicide safely and respectfully can help to reduce stigma and improve an individual’s willingness to help-seek.

Lived experience

People with lived experience of suicide provide valuable insights into suicide prevention initiatives.