Young LGBTI people, particularly around the time of coming out are particularly vulnerable to suicidal thoughts, said Alliance Executive Director Warren Talbot.

Research suggests that suicide rates are 6 times those of their heterosexual peers

The Alliance is supporting  a world first self-help program called “Healthy Thinking” developed by researchers at the Black Dog Institute and the Australian National University.

This program empowers people to take charge of unhelpful thoughts and learn ways to manage them on an ongoing basis.

“Unless services signal overtly that they are LGBTI friendly people are often reluctant to access services. Young LGBTI people in particular are unlikely to access face-to-face services but may be comfortable in an on-line environment.” Mr Talbot said.

Mr Talbot said that self-help programs such as “Healthy Thinking” have tremendous potential to reach segments of the population who may not access help in any other way.
“Investment in suicide prevention needs to take into account the unique challenges involved in enabling LGBTI Australians to access suicide prevention services. It is time for a targeted National LGBTI Suicide Prevention strategy”, Mr Talbot saidThe Alliance is supporting  a world first self-help program called “Healthy Thinking” developed by researchers at the Black Dog Institute and the Australian National University. This program empowers people to take charge of unhelpful thoughts and learn ways to manage them on an ongoing basis.

“Unless services signal overtly that they are LGBTI friendly people are often reluctant to access services. Young LGBTI people in particular are unlikely to access face-to-face services but may be comfortable in an on-line environment.” Mr Talbot said.

Mr Talbot said that self-help programs such as “Healthy Thinking” have tremendous potential to reach segments of the population who may not access help in any other way.

“Investment in suicide prevention needs to take into account the unique challenges involved in enabling LGBTI Australians to access suicide prevention services. It is time for a targeted National LGBTI Suicide Prevention strategy”, Mr Talbot said