1. SNNEWS SHEPPARTON NEWS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 5
WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY
Call to talk about issues
PEOPLE WHO GO TO HOSPITAL FOLLOWING A SUICIDE ATTEMPT ARE FROM ALL GENDERS, RACES AND AGES
By Elaine Cooney
A Goulburn Valley Health
director is calling on people
to talk to family and friends
if they feel suicidal this
World Suicide Prevention
Day.
GV Health’s mental health
divisional operations direc-
tor Bill Brown said however
desperate a situation may
appear, it was always better
to open up about problems
to someone rather than
making the ‘‘ultimate
decision’’.
Participants in a recent
Black Dog Institute study in-
to the aftercare of people
who attempted suicide
reported negative experi-
ences of care due to poor
communication about treat-
ment, a lack of knowledge or
understanding about self-
harm, a disregard for the
patient’s mental health prob-
lems, or lack of empathy.
Mr Brown said the hospital
only knew of a small portion
of people in the community
who attempted suicide, but it
was aware the figure in the
community was higher.
He said some people who
attempted suicide were
happy with the service they
received at GV Health and
others were frustrated that
their suicide attempt was
unsuccessful.
Mr Brown said the public
mental health service always
ran near to full capacity and
felt there was a need for
more private mental health
care in the community,
including counsellors and
social workers.
He said people who came
to hospital following a
suicide attempt came from
all genders, races and ages.
‘‘What we used to see is
that suicide was mainly evi-
dent in young males, but that
is not the case these days,’’
he said.
‘‘Where there is clear evi-
dence of an attempted
suicide, people are usually
brought in to the emergency
department by friend or by
ambulance.’’
He said once the hospital
staff were satisfied the
patient was physically well,
the mental health triage
team would be called to do
an assessment.
Mr Brown said if a
patient was deemed to still
feel suicidal, they could be
kept in hospital, but if the
team was confident the
patient would not repeat
the self-harm, they would
be released and followed
up with a counsellor or
doctor.
He said the hospital was
trying to understand why
people who attempted
suicide were not being
brought to its attention.
‘‘In some cases they are
so embarrassed, they don’t
want to go anywhere,’’ he
said.
Mr Brown said if people
attempted suicide, they
should seek help immedi-
ately because some of the
injuries suffered in the
attempt could lead to fur-
ther complications.
He said people who
attempted suicide often felt
isolated after the incident.
● People affected by
suicide or attempted
suicide can phone
Centralised Triage on
1300 369 005,
Compassionate Friends
Victoria on 1800 641 091
or Lifeline on 131 114.
Suicide prevention and bereavement groups needed
By Thomas Moir
A Shepparton woman
believes more needs to be
done to establish support
networks and bereavement
facilities for those affected
by the suicide of a loved one.
Emma Knapp is someone
who has ‘‘been through the
journey’’ — the grieving
process connected with a
suicide.
She said unlike other
regional centres, Shepparton
had no tailored support
service for those hit the
hardest.
‘‘Something has never really
been pinpointed in
Shepparton,’’ she said.
Ms Knapp has made efforts
to establish a suicide
prevention network and a
suicide bereavement group,
but said the process had
been slow going, and had
been met with resistance
from some people.
She said some had criticised
the idea, arguing that talking
about suicide could
encourage it.
‘‘I don’t believe this is the
case,’’ she said.
Ms Knapp believes such a
group would need the
support of a larger
organisation or different
agencies and individuals to
spearhead it to be
successful.
‘‘It would be a great
sounding board to start a
support group,’’ she said.
She said the group would
provide a safe environment
for people to tell their story,
something Ms Knapp
identified as an important
part of the grieving process.
‘‘It can be really isolating,
there are so many emotions
that come through,’’ she
said.
‘‘It’s not always something
you can express with
everyone else, and you don’t
know if anyone else will
understand.’’
Ms Knapp said other
communities had responded
to data about the impact
suicide was having, and
wished for the same to be
achieved in Shepparton.
‘‘The biggest thing that
needs to happen, is asking
‘How can we be supportive,
what kind of support do you
want?’ ’’ she said.
‘‘How can we improve your
grief journey?’’
Ms Knapp said from her
experiences, it could be
difficult for people to know
how to treat those affected
by a suicide.
‘‘They can treat them the
exact same as they used to,’’
Ms Knapp said.
‘‘And ask ‘How are you
going?’ Everybody’s grief
journey is different.’’
Ultimately, while Ms Knapp
acknowledged such a
support group could be
difficult to establish, she said
it would provide an
important service and that it
should be considered.
‘‘I think it’s something that
affects Shepparton and I
don’t think it’s something
that’s going to go away,’’ she
said.
Offering shoulder to cry on in low times
By Elaine Cooney
Help: Michael D’Elia has assisted many people through low times in their life.
You may have heard
Michael D’Elia’s name asso-
ciated with White Ribbon
Day, Consumer Affairs Vic-
toria or Shepparton Search
and Rescue, but he quietly
plays another important role
in our community.
Mr D’Elia has helped
many people, including
some of his friends and col-
leagues going through low
times, simply by offering a
shoulder to cry on.
For Mr D’Elia every day is
an ‘‘R U OK?’’ day.
But when he asks the
question, it is with sincerity
and he is ready to hear the
truthful answer.
It may be a discreet bump
on the shoulder or a hug fol-
lowed by the question.
Mr D’Elia said people of-
ten burst into tears and if he
asked whether they were
considering harming them-
selves, they gave him an
honest answer.
Having teenage children,
he is aware of their friends’
disposition so if it changes
in any way, they get the
shoulder bump.
He said however they
were approached, it was
important to look them in
the eye and ask if everything
was okay.
Mr D’Elia said sometimes
younger people said some-
thing was wrong, but they
could not discuss it with
him.
‘‘I ask ‘are you speaking
with someone who will give
you help?’ ’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve had people look at
me and say ‘I’m fine’.
‘‘When I say ‘I don’t
believe you, but I’m here
when you are ready’, they
burst into tears.’’
One time the question led
to an associate opening up
that his partner had broken
up with him and he entrust-
ed Mr D’Elia with the task of
listening to how he was feel-
ing, sometimes for three
hours on the phone.
Eventually he attempted
suicide while on the phone
to Mr D’Elia, who was on
another phone to 000.
Police arrived before the
final — almost successful —
suicide attempt and the next
morning Mr D’Elia brought
him to the doctor.
His new friend is on the
road to recovery following a
mental health plan.
Mr D’Elia is no stranger
to dark feelings himself
and has developed coping
mechanisms for when he
lands in a seemingly hope-
less hole.
‘‘It gets to a point where
you can’t see the choices
you have that are positive,’’
he said.
‘‘You only see there are
barriers around you.
‘‘Every direction you see
is darkness.’’
Now instead of closing
his bedroom door and
refusing to leave the house,
he forces himself to go for a
walk and sit under a tree.
Mate’s death
leads to new
approach to care
Michael D’Elia’s
enthusiasm for helping the
community came from a
Leading from Within
program teaching him
about his own wellbeing
and that of others around
him.
Like many people, Mr D’Elia
pushed his issues aside and
continued with life, but he
learned that was not the
right approach.
This self-improvement
began following the death
of a mate due to suicide in
2000.
He said his mate’s death
had an impact on the entire
club as well as the man’s
family.
Mr D’Elia took the approach
of informing each club
member about what
happened to save rumour
and speculation.
The club brought in
counselling services and
they tried to deal with the
grief ‘‘as a family’’.
Leading from Within
directors Jenny and Pat O’
Connell ran programs to
help club members help
one another during the
difficult time.
Mr D’Elia and club
members went through
further training with the
organisation and learned
much about themselves as
well as ways to help others
through tough times and
grief.
He said while beyondblue
was doing exceptional
work, more funding needed
to go towards smaller
organisations such as
Leading from Within.
Director Jenny O’Connell
said the group helped
people who were impacted
from suicide and was
hoping to work with
community groups.
She said it was important
for the community to be
educated on the warning
signs and realise when
people needed support.
Ms O’Connell was hopeful
the group would soon
source funding to begin
community education
programs to help upskill
people to become mentors,
like Mr D’Elia.