Presentation by Moira Clunie at the symposium LGBTTI Wellness & Suicide: What do we need to change? Hosted in Auckland on 27 February 2013 by Auckland DHB, Affinity Services, OUTLine NZ, Rainbow Youth and the Mental Health Foundation.

1. LGBTTI Wellness and Suicide
27 February 2013
Moira Clunie
Suicide Prevention Information Development Manager

4. www.spinz.org.nz

5. “GLBTI individuals
experience higher levels
of mental health
distress than their
heterosexual
counterparts”

6. “Same/both-sex-attracted
students reported higher
rates of depression, suicide
and self-harm compared to
their opposite-sex-attracted
peers.”

9. Gender: Male rate 2.5 x higher
than female
Ethnicity: significantly higher for
Māori.
Age: similar between adults and
youth. NZ’s youth rates are high
within OECD.
Location: higher rates for rural
males and people who live in
socioeconomically deprived
areas.

10. Protective factors may
include:
• connectedness to family, partner or community
• resilience, coping & problem-solving skills
• responsibility for children
• family communication patterns
• good physical and mental health
• positive beliefs and values
• economic security in older age
• connection to culture

11. “Discrimination and
exclusion are the key
causal factors of LGBTI
mental ill-health and
suicidality”

12. “The health and wellbeing
of same/both sex attracted
students was negatively
affected by their social
environment.”

13. “Be very clear that
being lesbian, gay,
bisexual, trans, intersex
and/or questioning
is not in itself a problem”

14. Rates of attempted suicide in young people when supported or
rejected by family (Hillier et al. 2011)

15. Mental health promotion
to strengthen:
-Individual
-Organisations
-Communities
-Whole societies

19. Photo: Kiran Foster.
Used under Creative Commons Attribution
license

20. “inform ways to improve
the access to, and
experience of, mental
health and addiction
services to the Rainbow
Community in the ADHB
catchment area.”

21. “strengthen individuals’
self-esteem, self-efficacy,
life and coping skills,
relationship and social
connections”