VICDOC Autumn 2025 - Magazine - Page 17
Prior to his retirement last year, David
was a Clinical Associate Professor in
the Department of Psychiatry at the
University of Melbourne. Previously, he
was a Senior Specialist Psychiatrist at the
Royal Melbourne Hospital. He was known
as a last resort psychiatrist in depression
and high suicide risk. He says that services
cannot deal in time with these numbers,
and more needs to be done.
"People who suicide often suffer from
a psychiatric illness. Medical research
has shown that 65% or more of people
who suicide were suffering from a severe
psychiatric illness at the time. The illness
is nearly always depression, with a smaller
number suffering from schizophrenia,
alcohol abuse or drug problems. Then there
are immensely painful personal events which
drive people to suicidal thoughts and actions,
especially young women,” says David.
“It is not generally understood that
most severe emotional illnesses are in fact
breakdowns in the internal chemistry of our
brain, brought about by stress. The broken
chemistry is the source of great suffering
for the person involved, who often does not
realise why they are having such trouble
coping or concentrating, and why they are
suffering so much.”
David set up an anti-suicide telephone
service 30 years ago, and the ASPF in 1998,
after becoming aware of service gaps.
The ASPF’s key aim is to prevent
suicide by providing avenues of immediate
assistance to those with thoughts of suicide,
and to raise community awareness of how to
intervene when someone close is in danger.
"A suicidal person feels hopeless, a
burden, not understood, alone, worthless,
and feels that the pain will never stop.
Frequent texts from lots of friends and
family members can help fight these
thoughts and save a life.”
David developed the innovative Prevent
A Suicide app in response to the finding
that, despite wanting to help, 57% of the
population do not know what to say or
how to respond when informed by a friend
or loved one that they are suicidal. GPs
can visit the In Tough Times Text website
to be reminded of useful phrases while
counselling a suicidal patient and can
recommend the Prevent A Suicide app
to carers, with consent.
Going forward, ASPF plans to evolve
the app. It is working on sociologically,
culturally and linguistically diverse
versions in consultation with high-risk
groups, investigating research on the app’s
impact and effectiveness, redesigning
the website and app in response to user
experience input, partnering with other
suicide prevention organisations, rolling
out the app internationally, and generating
publicity to help spread the word about
the app and its effectiveness.
“As suicide rates worsen, our major
hurdle is publicising this simple community
tool,” says David. “GPs can use Prevent A
Suicide to support patients with suicidal
ideas by recruiting family and friends to
use the app. This converts lone doctors into
team leaders, with the whole team sharing
in the outcome, giving the GP another tool
for the management of at-risk patients.”
Depression
Suicide Prevention
In Tough Times
Youth Suicide
After suicide
VI CD O C AUTU M N 2025
17
