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A Maitland support group for those bereaved by suicide will dismantle if attendance figures remain low.
Despite the number of suicides across the Hunter remaining stubbornly high, the Survivors of Suicide (SOS) Bereavement group is struggling to secure the numbers needed to continue its monthly support.
“It’s hugely important that we save this group because a lack of numbers doesn’t indicate a lack of need,” Lifeline Newcastle and Hunter suicide prevention project officer Robyn Lawrence said.
“There are bereaved people in Maitland and the surrounding areas, but it’s really tricky for people to talk about this.
“Grief following a suicide is complicated and profound. And there is profound sadness because there are no answers.”
Earlier this month the Australian Bureau of Statistics Causes of Death revealed that suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 44 years.
Lifeline Chairman John Brogden said the new statistics serve as a timely reminder that Lifeline is available to all Australians 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“One of the ways we can make a dent in these tragic suicide numbers is to encourage people struggling with issues in their lives to talk to others about it,” Mr Brogden said.
“The more we can encourage people to seek help at these times, the better placed we are to provide them with the support they need.”
- The Maitland Survivors of Suicide (SOS) Group meets on the last Thursday of the month at the Church of Christ, Garnet Street, East Maitland from 10am until noon. For more information contact Steve Schumacher 0424 485 466.