If a friend or family member told you they were considering suicide, would you be prepared to talk them out of it?
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Answering that question is the focus of TouchPoints, a free workshop HealthWISE is delivering to provide skills for recognising and responding to loved ones who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts.
"Every person in our community can be a TouchPoint, a person in our community that is recognised as someone we can approach if we need to talk," HealthWISE lived experience worker Priscilla Green said.
The TouchPoints workshop is a four-hour session designed to raise awareness about suicide and reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues.
The next workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 7, from 10am to 2pm in the UNE building on Fitzroy Street.
The session will cover a range of topics, including understanding the complexity of suicide, recognising warning signs, and debunking commonly-held myths and misunderstandings.
It will also provide practical tools for supporting individuals at risk and assisting those bereaved by suicide.
"One common myth people say is that [suicide] is a permanent solution to a temporary problem," Ms Green told the Leader.
"We have to appreciate that to the person considering suicide, the problems they're facing, or the pain they're in, isn't temporary to them. They may have experienced the break-up of a relationship, or lost their job, and they can't see a future after their loss."
We live in complicated times, and the reasons why people choose suicide are also complicated.
- Priscilla Green, HealthWISE
Building resilient communities is becoming more important than ever, particularly in regional Australia where there are fewer face-to-face services.
A recent study from Griffith University found farmers are particularly at risk, as the rate of suicide among farmers is twice that of other employed people.
TouchPoints works to reduce suicide rates as well as the stigma that surrounds mental health while normalising asking for help if a person is feeling suicidal.
"People who are suicidal cannot see a way out from their pain apart from suicide. That is why it is so important for us to speak up and try to help a person who doesn't seem their normal self," Ms Green said.
"It's okay to ask them if they are thinking about suicide. The TouchPoints workshop shows us how to do this, and how to help them find professional help."
The Kootingal Lions Club has organised several TouchPoints workshops with HealthWISE in the past and say more sessions are urgently needed to promote suicide prevention in the community.
"We lose twice as many people to suicides than to road accidents, so this is an urgent issue," Kootingal Lions Club president Lee Rodger said.
"[TouchPoints] could be likened to learning CPR. We learn it and hope we don't need to use it, but it is not a difficult load to carry."
Anyone interested in participating in the upcoming TouchPoints workshop can register online or by calling HealthWISE at 6766 1394.
Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Men's Referral Service 1300 776 491; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.