The APS welcomed the opportunity to respond to the ACT Inquiry into men’s suicide rates, highlighting the urgent need for targeted, evidence-based, and compassionate approaches to reduce the unacceptably high rates of male suicide. As experts in human behaviour, psychologists provide evidence-based, effective, and trauma informed assessment and therapeutic interventions for individuals at risk of suicide and support for those experiencing suicidal distress.
Our submission emphasises psychologists’ critical role in suicide prevention and recommends:
- Expanding access to affordable, longer-term psychological care.
- Strengthening community-based supports to reduce reliance on emergency departments.
- Providing opportunities for psychologists to undertake leadership opportunities.
- Embedding genuine co-production with lived experience voices in service design.
- Adopting culturally safe, trauma-informed and intersectional approaches, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and LGBTIQA+ men.
- Taking a lifespan approach to prevention, from early childhood interventions to addressing risks in older age.
The APS calls for stigma reduction, investment in workforce capability, and community-driven initiatives. We advocate for a holistic, lifespan, social determinants preventative approach and commend the Standing Committee on Social Policy on undertaking the Inquiry and look forward to seeing this important initiative progress to realise tangible improvements.
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