Australian TV - "Insight" - Talking suicide.

Lara · 06-09-2011, 07:20 AM

Just a really huge warning here to you all. I feel this so important but it is very confronting. So confronting in fact that I sought permission to post. Not for me, but for all of you. The irony is that the whole show was about how we don't "talk about it", but I felt I should ask before posting.

...

Talking Suicide
http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episod...d/406#overview
Overview

Insight
sbs.com.au
Tuesday, 7 Jun 11

Quote:

More Australians die from suicide than on our roads, but it's hardly ever talked about publicly.

Fears of copycat suicides have meant the topic is a virtual no-go area, with the media, police and film makers avoiding the issue in detail.

However, there's debate around whether this is the best approach.

The award-winning Australian mental health expert Pat McGorry thinks not. He says guidelines for reporting suicide are outdated, and that the problem should be tackled head on, with a national campaign and statistics published regularly.

bold added by Lara

http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episod...406#transcript
Transcript

http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episod...06#watchonline
Watch online

Alffe · 06-09-2011, 08:23 AM

Lara thank you. This is just an excellent program. I linked it on FB and am sending the link to our group moderator, our newspaper, and a reporter from our local tv news channel.

I remember another excellent link you gave..http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/conte...7/s1914206.htm

I'm thinking that the newsmedia in your country is more progressive than in ours. So far I have only watched part 1 and it is "right on"... Talking about it, listening when others talk, and using the word SUICIDE.

Thank you again.

Lara · 06-09-2011, 09:13 AM

Not progressive enough I think. Not sure how to compare all that with where you are Alffe. I reckon we're the greatest place on earth, but there are more people dying by suicide here each year than in car/road accidents and we don't talk about it. Then again there are probably more people dying from diabetes in indigenous communities here and we never talk about that either. <sigh>

I have a neighbour has lost her sister by suicide. I have another neighbour in the next street lost 3 sons. Yes. One woman lost her 3 sons to suicide! I have another neighbour who moved next door to them who recently lost a brother. That's all in the vacinity of about 500 yards.

No one talks about any of it. It's all hush hush.

Alffe · 06-09-2011, 04:16 PM

I listened to parts 2 and 3 Lara. Also just order David Vann's book

Legend of a Suicide

The Health Dept keeps records of the suicides here and it's available to the public. Some of the statistics really surprised me....the # of women that hang themselves and how few people of color kill themselves in our town.

I couldn't agree with the billboard in the film.."Thinking of Suicide? We'll help you write the note" just doesn't seem like a good way to get the message out.

I also sent the link to a Wis. friend who runs a support group there.

Thank you again.

Lara · 06-10-2011, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alffe

I couldn't agree with the billboard in the film.."Thinking of Suicide? We'll help you write the note" just doesn't seem like a good way to get the message out.

That was very odd and confusing, wasn't it.

Alffe · 06-10-2011, 08:50 AM

Yes it was but I loved "the bell".

Lara · 06-11-2011, 08:17 AM

In the transcript, it says that the person who was talking about this billboard was representing "Republic of Everyone", which appears to me to be an advertising agency.
http://www.republicofeveryone.com/about/

Quote:

EMMA HEATH, REPUBLIC OF EVERYONE: Alright, the first thing I’m going to say is that there is a bill board – but that’s not all that we did. That really is just the tip of the iceberg. We really liked the idea about beginning conversations and that’s what this campaign is all about and the headline there is quite provocative. ‘Thinking of Suicide. We’ll help you write the note.’

What the campaign is about – is driving people to a website called write the note now and this is all about encouraging people to write a note to someone anytime.. anytime they have something to say cause sometimes those words are really hard to come out and say… and you might feel like you don’t want to burden someone. I don’t have the right moment and you might not even be able to put it into words but by creating a website where people can actually have time and space to write a note then have a means of having that sent, we thought could be really really useful, especially for younger people who are more comfortable perhaps with saying things written down or online.

But what all these things do is – all these options link to a service so if they opted to write a note to someone close them via the website it could be sent so it could be sent as an email. Or if they chose to write to a stranger they could receive a reply – perhaps someone who is been there themselves – perhaps we get a team of people who have survived suicide attempts and um and get them to talk to people who are thinking about it through it.

However, I can't find that website at all anyway. "writethenotenow.com.au".

http://www.scribd.com/doc/57253152/R...ne-for-Website

Does this mean I need to download an app to use this service??? geez curiouser and curiouser
so I'm having suicidal thoughts and I have to have a special type of phone so I can download an app so I can send a note to someone who I may not even know and then I make a pact with them and tell them how bad I'm feeling? Good grief!

________________

Also found something else in my travels...

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/allinthemin...10/3080264.htm
Thinking about suicide: one survivor's perspective (Part 1 of 2)
All in the mind. ABC.net.au

Lara · 06-11-2011, 08:44 AM

OK

So I went to the Insight site to write to them asking what it's all about but found this before I did.

http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episod...d/406#webextra

Fictional Campaign

Insight commissioned ad agency Republic of Everyone to come up with an advertising campaign aimed at young people who might be feeling suicidal.

They came up with two ideas.
_____

I guess I missed that in the transcript and the audio?!

Quote:

JENNY BROCKIE: Okay, we could keep going on this all night I think. Coming up we're going to look at one local ad agency's approach to suicide prevention. We're going to talk about this ad. We asked ad agency The Republic of Everyone to mock-up some suicide prevention ads... Pat McGorry – What did you want the agency to focus on?

g'nite

Alffe · 06-11-2011, 03:09 PM

I missed it too Lara although now I understand one of the comments about the website...one person responded to another that "it didn't exist".

Thanks for the insight link...Scotlands was good, and anything Hugh Jackman is good, *grin, but I didn't care for Brazils entre....at all!

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