Seems like suicide prevention (industry) in the US is finally embracing the survivor voice with some enthusiasm. First, an editorial in the latest SPRC newsletter…
"Advancing Peer Support in Suicide Prevention | Suicide Prevention Resource Center"
NB1 – the link in this editorial to the "What Happens Now?" website is in fact the new website for the AAS (attempt) survivor blog that I posted about a while back. Although it’s still got the AAS logo, they’ve taken it out of the AAS website… hmmm… wonder why?
NB2 – and the link to " Live Through This" was also posted here a while back
The third link in this editorial is to the Suicide Attempters Task Force at the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention…
http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/task-force/suicide-attempt-survivors
… which is another new initiative indicating that the survivor voice is beginning to be taken seriously in the US. This "National Alliance" organisation is also quite new and a major development in suicide prevention in the US. I’ve been watching them with some trepidation because they seem very medical model, and you’ll find some really awful "expert" statements/opinions here… among the (very American) cast of thousands that you’ll find in this (very American) public/private alliance… Likewise, this Attempters Task Force names about 18 members, with too many suicide industry "experts" for my liking, but I recognise at least a few survivors among them too so hopefully it can be a genuine forum for our voices to be heard. We’ll have to wait and see what they come up with…
But I’ve got to say, there’s been more action around the survivor voice in the last few months than we’ve seen in the last ten years… which has got to be a good thing… I hope… Oh gawd, I dread that the survivor voice will be carefully and selectively co-opted into supporting the dangerous status quo medical mainstream … fingers crossed this won’t happen…
Thinking About Suicide 