The Lancet Commission on Self-harm

This fact sheet provides a summary of the findings of The Lancet Commission on Self-harm (see: https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/self-harm)
Is Suicide a Water Justice Issue? Investigating Long-Term Drinking Water Advisories and Suicide in First Nations in Canada.

Is Suicide a Water Justice Issue? Investigating Long-Term Drinking Water Advisories and Suicide in First Nations in Canada.
Heal Our Way
Heal Our Way is a NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Campaign funded by NSW Ministry of Health under the Towards Zero Suicides (TZS), and is led by Cox Inall Ridgeway in partnership with Aboriginal Communities within NSW. The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness of suicide within Aboriginal communities in […]
Webinar: Decolonising Mental Health Systems – Global Experiences of Wellbeing

Whole of community suicide prevention forums for Aboriginal Australians

It is well known that Aboriginal Australians are at increased risk of suicide. Contributors to suicide differ for Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations (Westerman, 2003; 2019). This study evaluated whole of community suicide prevention forums conducted across six locations. Attendees were youth (N = 136), service providers (N = 225), and community members (N = 158). The content of […]
Solutions that Work: What the Evidence of our People Tell Us: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Report.

A question of justice: Critically researching suicide with Indigenous studies of affect, biosociality, and land-based relations

This paper considers how Indigenous studies can inform the evolution of critical research on suicide. Aligned with critiques of mainstream suicidology, these methodological approaches provide a roadmap for structural analysis of complex systems and logics in which the phenomenon of suicide emerges. Moving beyond mere naming of social determinants of suicide and consistent with calls […]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: Suicide data 2020

Self-determination and strengths-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention: An emerging evidence-based approach

This chapter explores the emerging international evidence-base within Indigenous suicide research which supports holistic, strengths-based, culturally safe prevention and focuses on the importance of self-determination and cultural-continuity within communities. The social and cultural determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide are discussed along with culturally specific understandings of living well, or social and emotional […]
Addressing inequities in Indigenous mental health and wellbeing through transformative and decolonising research and practice

Aim: This paper discusses the current mental health and social and emotional wellbeing in Indigenous Australian mental health and wellbeing, the gaps in research, the need for transformative and decolonising research and practice, and the opportunities and recommendations to address existing mental health inequities. Method: This paper reviews key mental health and social and wellbeing […]
Wellbeing and Healing Through Connection and Culture

This review summarises the emerging research and knowledge, key themes and principles surrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural perspectives and concepts of healing and social and emotional wellbeing as they relate to suicide prevention. These discussions will support Lifeline to enhance and refine their existing knowledge and practices to promote culturally responsive suicide prevention […]
What the people said: Findings from the regional Roundtables of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project

This paper summarises key findings from the six community regional Roundtables that were undertaken as part of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project. The six community regional Roundtables were held in different locations across the country. Common themes emerging included the need for self-determination and local leadership, the need to […]
The context and causes of the suicide of Indigenous people in Australia

When comparing suicide in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) population to that in the non-Indigenous populations of Australia, there are significant differences in the rates of suicide and the age groups at risk of suicide. The etiology of these differences includes a history of colonisation and its aftermath including a burden of intergenerational […]
The aftermath of Aboriginal suicide: Lived experience as the missing foundation for suicide prevention and postvention

This paper aimed to highlight the systemic and theoretical barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have been bereaved by suicide. Incorporating the lived experiences of two advocates, Leilani Darwin and Julie Turner, and professional experiences of Matthew Trindall and Laura Ross, the paper explores the importance of including Aboriginal lived experiences in […]
What works in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention?

Suicide is a complex behaviour with many causes. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples there are specific cultural, historical, and political considerations that contribute to the high prevalence, and that require the rethinking of conventional models and assumptions.
The Elders Report into preventing Indigenous self-harm and youth suicide

Interview excerpts of Elders featured in the Report. The Culture Is Life campaign aims to give a platform for Indigenous Elders and community leaders to influence public awareness, policy-making and service provision around Indigenous suicide prevention. One of the initial actions of the Culture Is Life campaign was the development of the’Elders Report on Preventing […]
Indigenous Suicide and Colonization: The Legacy of Violence and the Necessity of Self-Determination

Contemporary indigenous first nations psychologists have developed an alternative frame for viewing suicide that not only shifts the focus from individual-level to group-level explanations, but challenges discourses that position group-level influences as “risk factors” that can be easily subsumed within standard repertoires for suicide prevention. First nations psychologists show the violent legacy of colonization has […]