Talking about suicide: exploring the role of silence within the lived experience of suicide

Talking about suicide: exploring the role of silence within the lived experience of suicide

The rates of suicide are slowly increasing in Southeast Queensland (SEQ). There is an increasing call for research to understand local contexts and give voice to subjective experiences of suicide that remain unheard as a key means of addressing this crisis. While anthropological studies have contributed to better understandings of insider perspectives of suicide and associated feelings of grief, there remain many unanswered questions about how people communicate their own experiences of suicide. This thesis explores silence as a form of communication in individuals’ personal experiences of suicide. The research project develops an understanding of silence and its role in suicide through an ethnographic study. The methods developed and implemented through this research are guided by an overarching conceptual and analytical strategy centred on silence. The approach builds on anthropological and mental health studies while centred on personal reflections on suicide bereavement. Fieldwork was conducted between January 2021 and January 2022 in SEQ, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals impacted by suicide, including work colleagues, family members, friends, and mental health professionals. In addition to interviews, the study draws on suicide texts, including a grief journal, death certificate and post-mortem examination report. The research identifies and defines three distinct forms of silence: internal, remaining and collective silence that are experienced alongside suicidal ideations, attempts and death by suicide. Through participants’ stories, the thesis reveals how silence can be used to understand and convey traumatic experiences, and suggests that the purposeful use of silence can support the capacity of individuals, families and mental health professionals to respond to, and support, those with lived experiences of suicide. It suggests that silence might be used by mental health professionals and members of the community to assist individuals seeking support for suicidal ideations, behaviours and suicide bereavement. The research findings suggest that this could contribute to mental health settings that offer individualised specialist treatment options that seek to mitigate the harm of suicide. The thesis expands prevailing discussions around suicide by foregrounding lived experience perspectives that demonstrate the significance of silence in the communication of trauma and grief associated with suicide. It broadens understanding beyond a psychological model by showcasing the value of ethnographic approaches in suicide research.

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