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Mental Health and Social Work pp 439–456Cite as

Suicide Prevention

Engagement and Community Linkage in a Recovery Framework

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Part of the book series: Social Work ((SOWO))

Abstract

Suicide is an urgent public health concern, and its prevention and reduction have been declared matters of national priority in several countries. Suicide is devastating both for its loss of life and for its wider impacts on families and communities. This chapter provides an overview of the implications for the social work role within this global crisis. Due to their day-to-day proximity to people at increased risk of suicide and those impacted by suicide, social workers are identified as being uniquely placed to play a pivotal role in the prevention and reduction of suicide and suicidality, as well as being well-positioned to make a significant contribution to improved understanding of supporting families and communities in the aftermath of a fatal suicide. Suicide statistics are outlined with reference to known risk factors and opportunities highlighted for social workers to be instrumental in the identification and mitigation of risk. Issues of social worker education and training are discussed in relation to the likelihood of social workers coming into contact with one or more individuals at risk of suicide during their career and at any given time. Attention is drawn to the existing contributions made by the social work profession to the field of knowledge on suicide, and the scope for increased social worker involvement in suicide research is put forward. Relating this broader global perspective to the Australian context, an innovative intervention recently developed in collaboration between Melbourne researchers and clinicians is introduced.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Lynette Joubert & Kristina Lainson

Authors
  1. Lynette Joubert
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  2. Kristina Lainson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lynette Joubert .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Rosaleen Ow

  2. School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Abner Weng Cheong Poon

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Joubert, L., Lainson, K. (2020). Suicide Prevention. In: Ow, R., Poon, A. (eds) Mental Health and Social Work. Social Work. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6975-9_21

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