I am writing this article as a Lived Experience suicide thriver and my role as a CORES Suicide Intervention Facilitator.
I realise the subject of suicide is in our faces that much that the majority of us switch off whenever we hear the word suicide. I urge you to please continue to read this critically important story about CORES.
CORES stands for Community Owned Response to Eliminating Suicide. It was developed in the rural community of Kentish, in Tasmania back in 2003.
It was as a result of a significant number of suicides in a very short period. It was developed by the community, for the community and by people with Lived Experience.
The CORES training is designed to provide individuals and communities with the essential skills and resources required to identify and respond to a person at risk of suicide and build on a community’s capacity to eliminate suicide. CORES is a not for profit, non-government organisation.
CORES training aims:
• To recognise the warning signs of suicide.
• To learn how to support a person at risk to access appropriate services and to develop their own safety plan.
• To promote help-seeking behaviour before a crisis occurs.
• For each participant to identify and develop their own self-care strategies and personalised safety plan.
The CORES training unpacks and looks at community attitudes to suicide. Please take the time to read on and unpack your attitudes to this ever-increasing problem in our society today.
Debunking common myths
Asking someone if they are suicidal will put the idea into a person’s head
Asking someone about suicide directly opens up the channels to be able to talk honestly. “Experts generally agree that asking is unlikely to make the situation worse. One of the only ways to really know if a person is contemplating suicide is to ask. Asking someone if they are feeling suicidal may seem difficult, but it shows that you care,” (Life in Mind, 2021).
People who talk about suicide just want attention
Talking about suicide is a warning sign. Warning signs should be listened to. Talking about suicide may be a way to indicate they need support so it needs to be taken seriously. It is a type of attention seeking but it’s more in the “Help Me” category than it is in the “Look at Me” category. People who talk about suicide are often thinking about taking their own lives.
Someone who has attempted suicide will never try again
A previous attempt is a recognised risk factor and will increase with each subsequent attempt. Those who attempt suicide are four times more likely to try again (Life in Mind, 2021).
It’s impossible to stop suicide
Suicide is not inevitable and may be prevented. The suicidal person rarely wants to die, what they want is the intense emotional pain to stop. The majority of suicidal people give out warning signs. If the majority of people were intent on dying, they wouldn’t communicate any intention, this is the 1 in 10 who are here today and gone tomorrow.
Everyone who engages in suicidal behaviour has a mental illness
Thoughts of suicide can happen to anyone, including those who have no history of mental illness. People living with mental illness are, however, at increased risk of suicide. Latest statistics show that in 56 per cent of suicides there is NO history of mental illness.
People who think about suicide are weak or selfish
Anyone who thinks about suicide is experiencing intense and overwhelming negative feelings and cannot see any other solution – they need support, not judgement.
I thank you sincerely if you have read this far. Please think about and share what you have read here.
I acknowledge the Kentish Regional Inc for their permission in sharing. You can visit the CORES website at cores.org.au or contact Graham on 0458 743 500 or Ross on 0427 455 313 if you want to find out more about the training.
• Graham Cotter initially built a solid foundation in the business world including a long stint running his own truck and trailer tyre company. His journey then led him to become not only a certified Life Coach but also a respected member of the International Coaching Federation.
If you, or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.