Many families in Victoria, and indeed Ballarat, have been impacted by suicide.
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Until recent years, the word suicide has been relatively taboo, something to be talked about behind closed doors.
But organisations like beyondblue and Headspace and many other worthy groups are gradually relieving the stigma around suicide.
Now the state government has revealed a plan to halve the rate of suicide in Victoria over the next decade.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday joined Minister for Mental Health Martin Foley to release the Labor Government’s Suicide Prevention Framework.
This framework is backed by a $27 million investment in two key suicide prevention initiatives.
And Ballarat will play a key role in the initiative.
Funds will be invested in local community approaches which help support the implementation of strategies such as workforce training, school-based support and mental health literacy programs within six local government areas, including Ballarat.
The areas for the trial locations are based of the prevalence of suicide in Victoria, population and community demographics, as well as local capacity.
More lives have been lost to suicide in a one-year period in Victoria than the road toll. In 2014 alone, 646 Victorians were lost to suicide, that’s double the road toll.
But the ripple effect is much greater, because for every suicide there are many more people affected, whether that be family, friends, work mates or sporting team members.
In helping to launch the initiative on Thursday, Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said the investment into the different communities was a key component of the state government’s 10-year Mental Health Plan.
“We will continue to work to reduce the stigma around mental health and gives patients and their families the support they need,” Mr Foley said.
“We will work hard to ensure we reach the target of halving the suicide rate by 2025, by investing in local solutions and system-wide reform.”
If Ballarat people can play a major role in finding a solution, then the whole of this community should take a bow. If we can help relieve the stigma over suicide, they should be very proud.