NACCHO is marking World Mental Health
Day by emphasising the importance of the 2019 theme and focus, suicide
prevention.

In Australia, the rate of suicide in
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities continues to grow. NACCHO CEO
Pat Turner AM said, “Our people experience very high levels of psychological
stress at almost three times the rate of other Australians and are twice as
likely to commit suicide.

“At the heart of suicide is a sense of helplessness
and powerlessness, which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
experience across multiple domains in direct response to their intractable
circumstances. Almost all of our people who die of suicide are living below the
poverty line.”

Ms Turner also highlighted the most
vulnerable victims of this mental health crisis: “Our children are four times
more likely to kill themselves in comparison with other Australian children. In
2018, suicide was the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children, accounting for more than a quarter of all Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander child deaths.”

NACCHO believes that suicide prevention initiatives must
incorporate culturally safe, holistic approaches that
are co-designed with communities, and which consider the physical, emotional,
spiritual and cultural wellbeing of individuals and families.

Professor
Pat Dudgeon, Director of the Centre of
Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention
Director, said, “The evidence shows
that Indigenous cultural strengths already provide an overarching foundation
for the national effort ahead. These strengths contribute to what we call our
‘social and emotional wellbeing’. Strong families, strong communities and
strong cultures and cultural identity support Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander mental (and indeed physical) health.”

There is a range of evidence which demonstrates that
community-led initiatives, exemplified by the values, beliefs and services of
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), are critical for
designing programs that strengthen Social and Emotional Wellbeing and promote
healing.

Ms Turner stated, “Our ACCHOs deliver culturally safe,
trauma-informed services in communities dealing with the extreme social and
economic disadvantage that are affected by intergenerational trauma, but they
need more support. Our services know what’s happening on the ground, and the
help that our communities need and that is why government funding is so vital.”

NACCHO understands harnessing the global
momentum on World Mental Health Day is critical to ensure productive and
culturally meaningful solutions are resourced and delivered to drive suicide
rates down within Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities.

“NACCHO urges the Commonwealth Government to continue providing support for the national suicide prevention trials in 12 communities by looking at the learnings and how they can transition the successful elements into ongoing funding and programs,” Ms Turner stated.

END.