Targeted suicide prevention for LGBTIQ+ communities

A new report released by the Black Dog Institute shares insights from two PHN trial sites for implementing suicide prevention strategies for LGBTIQ+ communities.

The Black Dog Institute has released a new report with key insights for implementing suicide prevention strategies that are effective for LGBTIQ+ communities, titled Suicide prevention for LGBTIQ+ communities: Learnings from the National Suicide Prevention Trial.

The report was developed as part of Black Dog’s support to the National Suicide Prevention Trial, which was launched in 12 sites across Australia in 2016.

Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and led by 10 Primary Health Networks (PHNs), the National Trial focused on priority populations who have an increased risk of suicide, with two sites – North Western Melbourne and Brisbane North – working directly with LGBTIQ+ populations to implement a community-led, systems approach to suicide prevention.

Containing reflections from five years of delivering suicide prevention activities in these local regions, the report fills a gap in knowledge available to those implementing suicide prevention activities for LGBTIQ+ communities. Key learnings include embedding lived experience and enabling local decision-making to inform culturally safe design and delivery of services for these populations.

“We learnt that it is vitally important for suicide prevention coordinators to build strong relationships with local LGBTIQ+ communities and understand intersectionality to improve the communities’ mental health and suicide outcomes,” said Janey McGoldrick, Head of Implementation at the Black Dog Institute.

Mainstream services often fail to meet the specific needs of LGBTIQ+ communities. With a chronic shortage of culturally safe or affirmative support, services that can be difficult to access for those in remote and regional areas, and a lack of data available – with sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status routinely omitted from national datasets – LGBTIQ+ communities remain at significantly higher risk of suicide than the general population.

Both North Western Melbourne and Brisbane North PHNs used the LifeSpan model – a pioneering systems approach to suicide prevention developed by the Black Dog Institute – to guide their strategy and activities.

“The trial allowed us to coordinate a multifaceted approach to suicide prevention for the LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy communities,” said Ged Farmer, Suicide Prevention Project Officer, for the Brisbane North PHN.

With funding for the National Suicide Prevention Trial due to cease from June 2021, the report highlights an urgent need for sustained funding to allow this life-saving work to continue, grow and support more people at risk of suicide in the LGBTIQ+ communities.

“The trial programs and services are really connecting with the community because they were built with the community,” said North Western Melbourne PHN CEO Adjunct Associate Professor Chris Carter said.

“It’s a great example of how we need to involve people with lived experience, not just in suicide prevention, but across our health system,” said Associate Professor Carter.

Download the report

With thanks to the Black Dog Institute for their permission to reprint this article.

Pictured above: PHN staff joined Queensland Council for LGBTI Health (formerly the Queensland AIDS Council) staff, as well as campaign artists and supporters at the Talking Heals launch in February 2020.