Former politician and chairman of suicide prevention service Lifeline Australia John Brogden has called on the Federal Government to declare suicide a national emergency, as well as begin to publicly count suicide deaths and set a suicide reduction target.
Speaking at a 1000-person strong lunch for Lifeline in Sydney today, he cited Scotland as a positive example, which reduced suicide by 18% over a decade after setting a target of 20%.
“We as a nation should be brave enough to do the same,” he said.
He also spoke about his own suicide attempt in 2005, after his reputation and political career were destroyed by a number of drunken incidents at the Hilton Hotel. (He was formally diagnosed with depression in early 2006; you can read his story HERE.)
“This year is 10 years after my suicide attempt. I’ve talked very openly about that time, about the darkness and the shame, and the decision to try to take my own life.“I recall the Nixon quote from his resignation speech in 1974 when he said ‘it’s not until you’ve stood in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to stand on the highest mountain’.”
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull gave a powerful speech at the lunch in which he called mental illness an “economic issue” which costs 4% of the GDP each year.
“Our best assets are 24 million Australians,” he said, stressing the importance of everyone to ‘lend a hand’, as it were, in preventing suicide, which currently claims the lives of seven people a day.
“This is not just a lunch, it’s a lifesaving lunch. This is a time of love and generosity at Christmas, and you can do no better than give generously to Lifeline Australia.”
He also paid tribute to the late ‘Angel of the Gap’ Don Ritchie, who is estimated to have prevented the suicides of 160 people by jumping off The Gap during the course of his life.
Each year over one million calls are made to Lifeline Australia, which offers 24-hour, anonymous counselling to people experiencing suicidal thoughts and dealing with mental health issues.
If you have some spare coin to donate to the great work it does, head HERE.
Source: ABC.
