Support after a suicide or suicide attempt

Suicide Prevention in New Zealand

Support after a suicide or suicide attempt

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Suicide Prevention
Postvention
Support after a suicide or suicide attempt

Introduction
The Postvention Support Initiative
Resources
Definitions
Contact

Introduction
The death of someone by suicide can be a particularly difficult type of bereavement that can leave people with many unanswered questions. It can also be difficult supporting someone who has made a suicide attempt.

The New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy 2006-2016 acknowledges the wider ramifications of suicide and attempted suicide that impact on family members, whānau, significant others, friends and communities. One of the goals of the Strategy is to support families, whanau, friends and other affected by suicide and suicide attempt. This is particularly important considering that those who are bereaved by suicide are also at increased risk of suicide themselves, and in rare cases a suicide cluster can develop.

Most people turn first to their natural support networks (i.e. family, whanau and friends) when a suicide or suicide attempt occurs. However, they should also be able to obtain more formal support in the immediate days and weeks following a suicide or suicide attempt. Communities should also be able to access advice and assistance when there is a suspected or emerging suicide cluster.

The Postvention Support Initiative
The Postvention Support Initiative is a new service that has been developed as part of the Government’s response to addressing the needs of those bereaved by suicide or affected by a suicide attempt. The service has five components:

Suicide Bereavement Support Service: this provides immediate and ongoing practical and emotional support, information and service liaison for those bereaved by suicide. Those delivering this service receive training and clinical supervision. This service is currently on offer in the Auckland/Waitemata Police District, the East Coast of the North Island Police District and the Canterbury Police District. This service is being delivered in a staged roll out, and it is anticipated it will be national in 2009;
Research Project: Supporting families and whānau after a suicide attempt: this pilot study is exploring the feasibility and efficacy of different interventions to support family, whānau, friends and significant others who are affected by a suicide attempt. This service will be delivered in Christchurch and the Waikato;
Postvention Planning for Communities: this provides training and support to prepare communities to be able to respond appropriately when there is a suicide;
Flexible Response Team: this provides specialist assistance and support to key community groups who are leading a response when there is a suicide cluster.
View information about the Mangement of the Postvention Response Fund.

The Ministry of Health has contracted with Clinical Advisory Services Aotearoa (CASA) and Victim Support to deliver this service.

Resources
Reports that informed the development of this service

New Zealand Suicide Prevention Strategy 2006-2016

After a suicide: Practical information for people bereaved by suicide
This resource helps people deal with practical issues following a suicide and suggests some ways of answering difficult questions, coping with grief and caring for yourself.

Guidance for community organisations involved in postvention
This resource aims to help community organisations that are providing support to those bereaved by suicide. The document provides information about how organisations can go about establishing a community initiative, as well as suggesting some activities that a community initiative could be involved in.

After a suicide of someone you know: Information and support for young people
This resource provides young people with information about grief reactions, questions that are commonly asked and how to cope with grief.

Definitions
Suicide postvention refers to community-based support after a suicide that aims to reduce the negative impact of the death and to reduce the potential for further suicidal behaviours. The key objectives of postvention initiatives are to maximise resilience and coping and to minimise risk and distress, and to establish structures and networks to deal with the suicide and its impact.

Suicide clusters are broadly defined as the occurrence in time of usually three or more suicides, greater than the number of suicides which would be expected on the basis of statistical prediction. Clusters are more common amongst young people and may account for 1-13 percent of youth suicides. Clusters often occur within institutions or small communities, including rural and indigenous communities.

Contact
Clinical Advisory Service Aotearoa (www.casa.org.nz)
Victim Support (www.victimsupport.org.nz)