National LGBTI Health Alliance announce suicide prevention strategy

Australia’s National LGBTI Health Alliance have released a mental health and suicide prevention strategy to promote strong mental health and wellbeing for LGBTI people across the country.

The National LGBTI Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Strategy is a strategic action plan that recommends a number of approaches for mental health workers that focuses on five areas; promotion, prevention, intervention, treatment and maintenance.

The plan is designed to respond to LGBTI people in need, intervene with those who are at risk of self harm and impede structures that contribute to the overrepresentation of queer people in mental health and suicide statistics.

Executive Director of the National LGBTI Health Alliance Rebecca Reynolds says the plan will put an and to the invisibility of LGBTI people in prevention strategies.

“This document aim to provide you with Strategies for Action that will ensure that targeted responses adequately and appropriately support the needs of LGBTI people and communities as a priority,” Reynolds writes in the plan’s foreword.

“This is overdue and essential if we are truly to work towards the targets we have set ourselves as a country to tackle suicide.”

The plan’s goals are to improve opportunities for inclusive and accessible care, establish more evidence on LGBTI populations, recognise diversity within the community, help provide a skilled workforce in the mental health sector and provide more promotion and prevention programs.

To read the full document, head to lgbtihealth.org.au

If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available;

Lifeline: 13 11 14

beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 / beyondblue.org.au

QLife: 1800 184 527 (Free) / qlife.org.au 
(QLife are a counselling and referral service for LGBTIQ+ people)