Lifeline Calls For Greater Connection And Resilience To Further Push Down Suicide Rates

In response to today’s news of reduced suicide rates, Lifeline Aotearoa’s Clinical Manager, Renee Mathews commented: “There’s a glimmer of hope here for New Zealand and yet, as the Chief Coroner has mentioned, this is cold comfort for those who have lost loved ones.

“The path to further, sustained reduction rates will come from developing strong connections and resilience within our communities, and how we interact with whānau and families every day. We know suicide prevention is not about relying on mental health services to do the heavy lifting. Lifeline believes every New Zealander has a role to play. This means looking out for each other, a quick call or knock on the door, each of us seeing that our collective wellbeing is everybody’s business. And it’s more important now than ever before.

“If we are learning anything from these lockdowns, it’s that we can survive and get through by coming together and drawing on our collective strengths. This is resilience-building in action. By encouraging communities to care, we can further strengthen these resilience skills so that we all pull through in times of distress,”

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