PANDA wins Victorian suicide prevention award

?PANDA has been awarded a 2022 LiFE Award recognising the critical work PANDA does in suicide prevention.

Suicide Prevention Australia awarded PANDA the Victorian LiFE award for Priority Populations, which recognises initiatives to address, prevent, or respond to suicidal behaviours in populations and groups disproportionately affected by suicide. These populations and groups include Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTIQ+ communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, men, and young people.?

Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death and around 20 per cent of PANDA’s callers report that they are experiencing suicidal thoughts or ideation during the perinatal period.

PANDA’s National Helpline delivers a Peer Support Program, a clinical Counselling and Intake Program and an Intensive Care Coordination program, each working in collaboration to support parents in the perinatal period experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

PANDA CEO Julie Borninkhof said early intervention and integrated support were critical for parents experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours, but existing services were stretched, difficult to navigate and lacked resourcing for perinatal-specific help.

“Mainstream acute mental health services are often hard to navigate or access with an infant or while pregnant and there is still significant misunderstanding around some current mental health treatments during pregnancy and breastfeeding,” Ms Borninkhof said.

“Through partnered research with Murdoch Children's Research Institute exploring maternal suicide in the perinatal period, we recognise that fear and stigma significantly impact help-seeking during this period as parents fear removal of their babies if they disclose risk. These issues are significantly amplified for hard to reach and vulnerable communities.”

PANDA Community Champion Renee Williams experienced suicidal thoughts after the birth of her first baby. She said early intervention and expert mental health support were critical factors in her recovery.

“I was fortunate to be able to connect with a community mental health team, psychologist and psychiatrist who helped me move through my illness and build strategies for the future,” she said.

“Suicidal thoughts are dark and scary, and often totally out of character when you reflect on them, but at the time they are very real. It is critical that there are specialist support services available around the clock for women and families who are experiencing these challenges.”

Ms Borninkhof said that PANDA was focused on building and expanding its capability to assist callers experiencing suicidal ideation.

“PANDA has a strong lived-experience workforce. Peer Support Workers, Peer Support Supervisors and Community Champions who have experienced suicidal thoughts and behaviours in the perinatal period are actively engaged in all aspects of service delivery including development, implementation and evaluation,” she said.

“We provide free, accessible online and face-to-face training that is founded in lived experience to community and health professionals, and we collaborate with our partners and other specialist services and helplines to foster a holistic approach to suicide prevention and early intervention during the perinatal period and also more broadly across the community as well as public, social and health services.”

?"On behalf of PANDA I am honoured to receive the Victorian Suicide Prevention Australia LiFE award for Priority Populations, and to continue our work in the under-recognised space around perinatal suicidality.”

Read more on the PANDA website: Perinatal suicide: signs, safety and support options.

If you or someone you love needs support:

PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Friday AEST) or panda.org.au

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au