Living Communities

Worldwide, approximately one million people die by suicide each year (World Health Organisation, 2009). This is more than the number of casualties from all the conflicts around the world suicide. In Australia during 2010, death by suicide occurred at a rate of 10.5 deaths per 100,000 heads of population with males accounting for seventy six percent of all deaths by suicide (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010, Causes of Death: Suicides).
This means that on average of six lives are lost to suicide, per day. Furthermore, many more suicides are misclassified or classified, as being undetermined such as may be the case in single driver motor vehicle accidents (Connolly et al, Single road traffic deaths – accident or suicide?, Crisis, 1995)

For every life lost to suicide, there are many more that attempt to take their own life. In fact, in Australia it is estimated that for every death by suicide there are as many as thirty more people who attempt to take their life and many more who have thoughts of suicide. Throughout 2010 it is estimated that approximately 1,123,80 were burdened with thoughts of suicide. Globally the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that one life is lost to suicide every 40 seconds and across all the countries that report suicide rates to the World Health Organisation (WHO). In fact, according to the WHO, suicide is now one of the three leading causes of death among people young adults aged 15 - 35 years. (WHO, Facts and Figures about Suicide, 1999)

Suicide is devastating, not only for the life loss or for those who are injured, but also for family members, friends and remains a community health problem. Suicide can happen to anyone, with the factors leading to suicide being often difficult and complex. Furthermore, various factors including biology, personal and social psychology, roles and relationships and issues pertaining to the very meaning of each of our lives influence suicidal behaviour. Suicidal behaviour is not a single problem, but a collection of issues that eventually end in self-harm or death. There is no typical reason for suicide but it is very unlikely for suicide to occur “for no reason at all.”

Much more common antecedents to suicide are events and experiences that eventually overwhelm the person and lead to a loss of their usual effective coping skills and strategies. Whilst death may be the outcome or the desired goal for a person at risk, suicide is a means of escaping a life where the burden of suffering and pain can be removed, It is at this point that suicide may become a valid option for a person at risk, but at this point, we believe that life can also be chosen if there is someone to help sort out the choice (Heikkinen et al, 1995. Age-related variation in recent life events preceding suicide, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1995)

(Jobes and Mann, Reasons for living versus reasons for dying: Examining the internal debate of suicide, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 1999)

Although a small number of suicides are completed without warning, it is important to know that the majority of people who take their own life give definite invitations or warnings of their intentions to self-harm. In addition, large portions of people who take their life by suicide are not entirely intent on ending their lives, but are rather ambivalent about living and dying.

We at Living Communities strongly believe that whilst not all suicides can be prevented, a majority of suicides can be prevented through open, honest and direct discussion of suicide. We also believe that there are proven intervention skills that do exist, and that these skills can be taught and learnt and are the proud providers of three LivingWorks programs. These include two awareness training programs; suicideTALK and safeTALK.

Living Communities also offers ASIST program (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), a two-day intervention skills training. LivingWorks training programs help raise awareness of the issue of suicide and of the opportunities prevention opportunities they may otherwise not be recognised and missed. LivingWorks have been and still remain the leaders in the field of suicide intervention for over thirty years and training.

ASIST is the worlds most widely used, and most evaluated suicide first aid training program of its type and has become an integral part of the national suicide prevention strategy for the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Norway and Australia. ASIST has also been successfully introduced to Singapore, New Zealand and Guam, as well as being seeded in countries such as Korea, China, Hong Kong, Fiji and India. In excess of 750,000 people have undergone ASIST training as of 2006 with ASIST being available in English, Norwegian, French, Spanish and Inuktitut.

A glance at those who have taken the workshop attests to the fact that it can be used anywhere: school teachers, indigenous people, correctional staff (adult and youth), police officers, military personnel (enlisted and civilian), mental health professionals, child welfare workers, crisis line volunteers, the clergy, addictions workers, medical students, rural workers, social services staff, probation workers, and many others from different walks of life. Not only can suicide first aid be used anywhere, it can be used by any one in any place.



ASIST is a foundation or core program for those aged over 16 years that prepares participants to do immediate or emergency suicide interventions\ until the imminent risk of suicide is resolved or until further support resources can be activated. Suicide first aid has been compared to the CPR Heart Saver program of the American Heart Association or the Emergency Level First Aid program of St John Ambulance (Living Works Education, 2005).

Participants become more alert and vigilant to the various invitations and clues that someone considering suicide may be thinking while learning new ways of asking directly about suicide in a manner that is empathetic and demonstrates their understanding of the risk and are more prepared to intervene, and to support a person at risk of suicide

Participants, in learning to understand the risk also learn to assess the risk of suicide with persons at risk and to work collaboratively with them to increase their personal safety and to help link the person at risk with supports including, but not limited to friends, family, mental health and/or allied health professionals neighbours, colleagues clergy.