CASPER Presents Suicide Prevention Strategy to Prime Minister

A group of families bereaved by suicide, supporters from the community of Kawerau who CASPER has supported and a GP met with the Prime Minister yesterday to present their alternative to the government’s current suicide prevention strategy.

The CASPER strategy relocates suicide prevention from mental health clinics to families and communities. It details the large body of evidence supporting social interventions to reduce suicide rates as a more effective way of addressing suicide risk than the current model of labelling people as deficient and prescribing drugs clinically proven to at least double the risk of suicide. It provides evidence that the current mental health approach to suicide prevention causes not only increased rates of suicide but high levels of disability reflected in the fact that 42% of those on sickness benefits have a psychiatric or psychological illness as their primary condition.

In calling for a social rather than mental health approach to suicide prevention, CASPER said it offered the government evidence that it can save money while saving lives. Millions of dollars are spent annually on mental health services and pharmaceuticals which research has shown increase rather than decrease suicide deaths.

In the meeting with CASPER, the Prime Minister restated his commitment to a review of suicide in New Zealand and promised to consider CASPER’s call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into suicide. Since the death of the child of CASPER Co-Founder Maria Bradshaw in 2008, New Zealand has seen a 300% increase in suicides amongst 10-14 year olds. Mr Key spoke to CASPER members of the impact on his family of two recent suicides at the school his child attends.

CASPER made it clear to the Prime Minister that increasing rates of suicide which resulted in the preventable deaths of 558 people last year is a matter requiring his urgent attention and a thorough and independent inquiry into the drivers of New Zealand’s youth suicide rates. OECD data shows New Zealand has the highest rate of youth suicide amongst its member countries with rates twice that of the United States and Australia and five times that of the UK. This is something the government can no longer afford to ignore, downplay or hide from the public. Mr Key agreed that current restrictions on open discussion of suicide by affected families requires rethinking.

CASPER detailed its concerns that reviews of suicide in New Zealand over the past two decades have been narrowly focussed and have been conducted by the same small group of people whose approach has driven increases in suicide. The Prime Minister acknowledged the group’s concerns that his Chief Science Adviser has financial interests in a pharmaceutical company he established and stands to benefit financially from recommending a mental health approach to suicide prevention.

In addition to requesting a Royal Commission of Inquiry, CASPER asked the Prime Minister to conduct a review of the Coroners Court. This court is charged with identifying the lessons that can be learned from individual suicides and making recommendations to prevent further deaths. CASPER considers taxpayer money is being poorly used given that there is no evidence that the court is achieving this outcome. CASPER spoke to the Prime Minister about the deep dissatisfaction of families with the inquest process which is experienced as abusive and which routinely ignores evidence presented by those who know suicide victims best. Concern that families are being actively discouraged from participating in investigations into the deaths of their loved ones and that the objective of the suicide prevention strategy to collect better data on suicide were also raised with the Prime Minister.

Ministry of Health research shows a direct causal link between steep increases in the prescribing of antidepressants and concurrent increases in hospitalisation for serious suicide attempts. Around the world, but not in New Zealand, these drugs carry warnings that they cause suicide. CASPER considers that any intervention that has such a strong evidence base for causing harm should be stopped immediately or at the very least subject to a rigorous review and strong regulation. Increases of 143% in the prescribing of these drugs to children aged 0-4 years between 2009 and 2010 are likely to drive suicide rates in New Zealand to even greater heights. Current data showing 1.3 million antidepressants were prescribed to 480,000 New Zealanders last year help explain our shockingly high rates of suicide.

CASPER reminded the Prime Minister that 65,000 people have been bereaved by suicide over the past twenty years and that over 90% of those polled by CASPER say the suicide prevention policies of parties and candidates will be important or very important in casting their vote this election.

Copies of the CASPER Suicide Prevention Strategy are available for purchase from the CASPER website at www.casper.org.nz

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