Mapping Suicide Prevention Activities in Queensland: A Much Needed Exercise

Abstract

Suicide and self-harm continue to be major public health concerns for Australia, and substantial efforts have been made to reduce these burdens. However, due to limited information regarding existing programs and initiatives, and lack of randomised controlled trials, little is known about the effectiveness of these prevention initiatives. Therefore, a mapping exercise was promoted with the aim to identify, review and disseminate information about current suicide prevention activities. This would permit to obtain, for Queensland, a useful guide of existing services. Organisations relevant to mental health were identified, and asked to provide comprehensive information regarding their suicide prevention programs/services. This information was supplemented by qualitative data gathered from interviews with these organisations. The key variables were: type of intervention; geographical areas targeted; and target populations, including the number of people reached, as well as potentially impacted by a specific intervention. Organisations were also asked about the possible evaluation of their programs/services. A summary of this information will form a comprehensive web-based register of current suicide prevention programs/services in Queensland. This database will allow easier access to information for people at risk of suicide, as well as the mental health organisations when developing suicide prevention initiatives. Additionally, the outcomes of this mapping exercise will enable geographical comparisons between existing suicide prevention initiatives and incidence of suicide in these regions. In turn, this will assist in identifying gaps and linkages in service provision, and will have implications in the development of future state and national suicide prevention policies and initiatives.