Everymind, in collaboration with members of its Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG), has co-created new guidance to support people with a lived experience of suicide to share their stories safely and effectively.
Our stories matter: Sharing lived and living experiences of suicide publicly is a suite of resources featuring guidelines, a series of video interviews with LEAG members providing advice based on their own storytelling experiences, a workbook to prepare for sharing, and guidance for self-care and avoiding burnout. An easy-read summary version is also available.
In addition to a co-design process with LEAG members, the free resources are built on a research base including the input of more than 300 people who have a lived and living experience of suicide, many of whom also have experience sharing their stories publicly.
Speaking in one of the videos, LEAG member and suicide prevention advocate Jon Eddy highlighted the importance of training, and resources like Our stories matter, in helping others with a lived and living experience of suicide to share their stories safely and effectively.
“The way I tell my story has very much evolved. I look at what I knew in those early days even around the language I used, and I look at some old social media posts and think ‘wow did I really post that?’,” Eddy says.
“It just shows how far I have come in my understanding of the importance of language and imagery… I am very willing to be educated and I still pinch myself that people are willing to educate me for free because when I started out on this path I thought I would have to go to university to be taken seriously.”
Key topics covered in the resource suite include:
As part of the project, Everymind also developed new guidance for media who may be interviewing or working with people who have a lived and living experience of suicide . Key themes include ensuring informed consent, the importance of providing a space in which people feel safe and supported, and respecting boundaries.
The aim of these related resources is to increase the confidence and skills of media and communications professionals, increase trust in media for those sharing their experiences, and improve media reporting about suicide.
The guide is accompanied by a short video featuring people who have a lived and living experience of suicide providing their perspectives and advice to media when working with people like them.
The entire resource suite includes numerous quotes provided by people with lived and living experience which offer first-hand perspectives.
Key topics covered in this resource include:
This resource is designed to be used in conjunction with the Mindframe guidelines for reporting on suicide and mental ill health, and the Mindframe quick reference guide: How news personnel can prioritise self-care when covering traumatic news.
Published: 26 September 2024