Suicide Prevention Office to open
The Government is setting up a Suicide Prevention Office to address New Zealand’s historically high rate of suicide.
It follows the release of the provisional statistics last month, which showed 685 people died by suicide during the year to July – a rise of 2.5 per cent.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister David Clark made the announcement yesterday as part of the Government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019–2029 (Every Life Matters) and Action Plan 2019–2024, which focuses on promoting wellbeing, responding to suicidal distress and behaviour, and supporting individuals, wha¯ nau and communities after a suicide. Key changes include moving from a largely mental health service-based response to a community-based approach and supporting people bereaved by suicide.
The action plan sets out to address gaps in suicide prevention and post-vention information, progress a research plan, review the coronial investigative process and implement a free suicide bereaved counselling service.
It also aims to increase wellbeing support for children and young people in places of learning, work with Ma¯ ori and people with experience of suicidal behaviours to develop national guidelines for managing suicide risk to be used within DHBs and NGOs.
Mental health advocate Mike King welcomed the ‘‘inclusive plan’’, where everyone was part of the solution but said there were other blocks that needed to be put in place such as a positive attitude change, he said.
King quit a government suicide prevention panel in 2017, saying the plan was deeply flawed and set no targets. The new plan also sets no targets, but King said he was ‘‘absolutely fine’’ with that.
‘‘Targets create a myth that we are doing a great job . . . the target should always be zero. I am over people saying if we can save one life, it is worth it. If we are not saving them all, we are failing.’’
King said he had been watching 1737 – Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline. co.nz
Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
for the past two years, while everybody was complaining about what the Government was going to do. ‘‘Guess what, we’ve got it. Let’s get on with it,’’ King said.
Money could not fix the problem when disconnection was the issue. ‘‘You can have the best mental health system in the world but be too scared to open up and . . . It’s pointless.’’
The messaging had to shift from urging people to reach out. It also had to ask what was being done to make it OK for people to ask for help, he said.
Ardern said the nation’s rate of suicide was a long-term tragedy and had been for many years, and acknowledged the plan would take time and not all the answers would be found in Wellington.
The Suicide Prevention Office would focus on on-the-ground initiatives to reduce the number of New Zealanders taking their own life, she said.
The office will provide central leadership and be housed and supported by the Health Ministry initially, with the intention of becoming a stand-alone office in coming years.