Led by Dr. Anton Isaacs and Samantha McIntosh, we are at the heart of an innovative turning point in suicide prevention. Today’s authors call on the mental health field to center the voices of people with lived experience. Their advocacy comes in response to the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, recently published by the Mental Health Commission, which emphasizes the necessity of integrating such experiences into future prevention efforts. Overall government spending on mental health has increased by 30 percent over the last ten years. Suicide rates have continued to increase, leading advocates and researchers to call for a rethink of today’s approach.
Dr. Isaacs, who is a senior lecturer at Monash University’s School of Rural Health, says lived experience must be included at every stage. McIntosh, a longtime Darwin resident who has deep experience in indigenous suicide prevention, wholeheartedly supports the inclusion of this significant detail. They argue that this approach should be more than just compliance, that it should be authentically embedded into policy-making processes. Their recent co-authored perspective paper highlights the ongoing challenges faced in the field and advocates for a new framework that prioritizes lived experience alongside clinical expertise.
The Role of Lived Experience
Both Dr. Isaacs and Ms. McIntosh emphasize that individuals who have navigated the complexities of suicidality possess unique insights into effective prevention strategies.
“People with lived and living experience have the greatest insights into what works, what does not work, and what is missing in suicide prevention,” – National Mental Health Commission.
Dr. Isaacs states that without recognizing the importance of lived experience, the sector risks failing to address core issues effectively. Unless they do, he cautions, the implicit promise will not be kept. Failure to do so risks the disillusionment and indeed the re-traumatization of those participants.
“If people don’t consider lived experience to be central or core to their work, then they don’t give it the importance that they need,” – Dr. Isaacs.
Ms. McIntosh couldn’t agree more with that sentiment. She has seen first hand the devastating effects that stigma around mental health can have. She is convinced that any effort to bring the voice of lived experience in needs to be tailored. It needs to well serve the unique needs of various communities.
“That combination of clinical and lived experience doesn’t exist in a lot of places,” – Ms. McIntosh.
The Fragmentation of Mental Health Services
The children’s mental health landscape is increasingly fragmented and access is evaporating. This was underscored in an inquiry report from the Productivity Commission in June 2025. This report contends that the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement is failing to achieve its purpose. Dr. Isaacs points out that suicide has traditionally been approached through a clinical lens, focusing on diagnosis and treatment rather than holistic support.
“The mental health and suicide prevention system is fragmented and out of reach for many people,” – Productivity Commission.
Ms. McIntosh laments this state of affairs. She further elaborates that the logistical hurdles posed in areas such as the Northern Territory only add to the difficulty of successful service delivery. She is an advocate for addressing workforce challenges in all sectors to better serve diverse communities and augment communities’ capacity to realize their goals.
“We know that there’s workforce challenges across the [NT] in all sectors and being able to support the diversity of the territory and communities is also something that we face,” – Ms. McIntosh.
A New Vision for Suicide Prevention
Dr. Isaacs and Ms. McIntosh advocate for a more pragmatic approach. Together, they add clinical expertise to their lived experience, informing the need to create better, safer suicide prevention strategies. They hope this improved coordination will result in more people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts being connected to care and having better outcomes.
“I think that they would be more successful, I think that they would be more achievable, and I think you would have higher client rates,” – Ms. McIntosh.
While both advocates are pleased to see the intent behind current policies, both admit that concrete plans to do things like actually promote these ideas still seem far away. Ms. McIntosh does an excellent job of laying out what clearer directions going forward should look like.
“I think there’s amazing intent there, but we haven’t landed what it is or how we’re going to do that yet,” – Ms. McIntosh.
As Dr. Isaacs points out, knowledge is gained through lived experience. He says when people understand and identify with each other’s challenges, it creates a safe and connecting space that invites in the healing.
“If you can look at someone and think ‘they know what I’m going through’, it makes things a lot easier, there’s things that don’t need to be said,” – Ms. McIntosh.
