Suicide is now the greatest killer of Australians aged 15 to
44 according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
A collaboration between Monash University and
beyondblue – with funding from the Movember Foundation – has led to the
development of a world-first smartphone app and website to help save lives when
people feel hopeless and helpless, and want to die.
Dr Glenn Melvin, Senior
Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist at Monash University’s Centre for
Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology was central to developing the
app’s safety plan format. He believes the app is a practical suicide prevention
tool that can help save lives. “The safety planning app documents a series of
steps that the person can use to keep themselves safe when they have suicidal
thoughts,” he said.
“It
starts with things they can do themselves, then moves onto people they can
contact for support. All this information is with them constantly on their
phone and they can access it privately.”
Called the BeyondNow app, which is free and can
be downloaded onto a smartphone, it shows people how to create a plan to refer
to when they are experiencing suicidal thoughts or are in a suicidal crisis,
according to beyondblue CEO, Mr Jeff Kennett.
“A tool like this has been needed for a long
time. We know that having access to a safety plan in crisis situations can save
lives. Now, we’ve used technology to convert written suicide safety plans,
which have been used successfully with American service veterans, into a free
app,” he said.
“I hope that men, in particular, will work with
their GPs, psychologists, psychiatrists and carers to personalise their safety
plan on the BeyondNow app and refer to it when they feel at risk of harming
themselves.”
It is estimated 76,000 people attempt suicide
each year in Australia. Research shows 15 to 20 per cent of those who try once
will try again. The first three months after an attempt are regarded as the
highest risk period.
The free BeyondNow App can be downloaded from the App Store
and Google Play store.
No comments:
Post a Comment