Understanding Suicidal Thoughts or Crisis in Country SA

In South Australia, rural, regional and remote communities have been overlooked in discussions and responses about mental health and suicide prevention.

That is why LELAN is partnering with Country SA Primary Health Network (PHN) to run a survey that shines a light on the experiences of country South Australians who have had suicidal thoughts or experiences.

Some of the stories we receive through the survey will also be used to create a short film that can help share these experiences.

How People With Lived Experience Can Be Involved:

We invite you to complete this survey and share your experiences with us.

If you complete the survey, there is also a question where you can express interest in being part of the short film we create to share what we hear from this survey.

When completing this survey, there are required responses (marked with an *asterisk) for your basic details, your location, and whether you have had suicidal thoughts or experiences, but the rest of the questions are optional. If you do not feel comfortable answering any of the questions, you can simply move onto the next question.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and will be open until 31 March 2025.

Enquiries:

For any enquiries about the survey or the short film, contact Jess via jess@lelan.org.au or 0431 953 526.

The work for this project is led by an Advisory Group with lived experience and supported by Jess and Brett from LELAN. You can learn more about them here.

Please note that your responses below are used by LELAN to increase our understanding of who is engaging with our projects and work. As an organisation we are committed to including diverse perspectives and ensuring that various identities and experiences that people bring to the lived experience community are recognised. We will not disclose personal and/or identifying information about a person without their consent or in a way that they do not agree with. You have the option of providing no response if uncomfortable or unsure of disclosing this information.

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* 1. Your details:

Name or Anonymous *

Email *

Gender Identity (Optional)

Phone (Optional)

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* 2. Your location:

Postcode

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* 3. Which age group are you?

Under 18 years

18 – 25 years

25 – 40 years

40 – 50 years

50 – 65 years

Over 65 years

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* 4. Have you experienced suicidal thoughts or crisis?

Yes

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* 5. What does suicide mean to you?

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* 6. Do you feel comfortable discussing your experiences of suicidal thoughts or crisis?

Yes, I can discuss it openly when I am experiencing it

Yes, but I can only discuss it after the experience has passed

No, I never feel comfortable discussing it

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* 7. If Yes, in which settings do you feel comfortable to discuss your experiences of suicidal thoughts or crisis?

Family

Friends

Colleagues/work

University/TAFE

Social media

Medical professionals

Church

Sporting clubs

Community groups

Social welfare services

Other (please specify):

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* 8. If you do not feel comfortable discussing suicide, can you tell us why?

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* 9. What stops you from seeking help when you experience suicidal thoughts or crisis?

Local culture/attitudes

Feeling unfamiliar with local community

Feeling isolated/disconnected

Feeling too well known or too easily identifiable

Fear of being judged

Fear of being viewed/treated differently

Work commitments

Financial barriers

Prior experiences of help/services

Fear of being detained or admitted to hospital

Lack of transport to/from help

Lack of access to medical care

Lack of mental health services

Lack of knowledge of mental health services

Other (please specify):

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* 10. Are there any factors that can lead to or worsen having suicidal thoughts or experiences?

Housing instability

Bills or cost of living

Debt or financial difficulties

Unemployment

Lack of transport

Relationship difficulties

Trauma

Childhood trauma

Lack of emotional support

Lack of social connection

Experiencing violence

Experiencing domestic or sexual violence

Experiencing discrimination

Illness (physical or mental)

Other (please specify):

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* 11. What does help with suicidal thoughts or crisis look like to you?

Family

Friends

Peer support

Someone to talk to who understands

Telephone helplines

Drop-in spaces

Online apps/websites

Medical care

Work

University/TAFE

Pets

Sporting clubs

Women's groups

Men's groups

Gender-specific services

Culturally-specific supports

Religious/spiritual supports

Local community services

Other (please specify):

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* 12. When help isn't available, how have you coped with suicidal thoughts or crisis?

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* 13. If you have also lived in city centres, is there anything that is different about experiencing suicidal thoughts or crisis in the country compared to the city?

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* 14. How can we better support people struggling with suicidal thoughts or crisis in country SA?

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* 15. Is there anything else you want people in the community to know about what it is like to experience suicidal thoughts or crisis?

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* 16. Would you be interested in talking about some of your responses to this survey in a short film?

Yes, I am open to sharing my answers on camera

Yes, I am open to sharing my answers as a voice recording

Yes, I am open to sharing my answers in writing

No, I do not wish to share my answers

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* 17. Thank you for taking the time to complete these questions and your commitment to using your lived experience for change.

If you have expressed interest in being part of a short film, you will hear from us in April via the contact details you provided.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jess at Jess@lelan.org.au or 0431 953 526.

If this has raised any difficult experiences for you, there are helplines you can call:
Lived Experience Telephone Support Service 1800 013 755
13YARN [First Nations Support] 13 92 76
Qlife [LGBTQIA+ Support] 1800 184 527
MensLine 1300 78 99 78
Blue Knot [Trauma Support] 1300 657 380

If you have any further comments please provide them in the box below:

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* 18. A couple of final things for us to check off:

I would like to hear about other ways I can be involved with LELAN.

I consent to my answers being used in advocacy discussions, presentations, position statements, reports, or as quotes on social media knowing I will not be able to be identified and they will be attributed to 'community member.'