Jane Pirkis
Biographic Data
| ID | 277179 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jane Pirkis |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jane |
| FAMILY NAME | Pirkis |
| SIGNATURE | PIRKIS J |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Melbourne |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2538-4472 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 68 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 61 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 68 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Changing trends in suicide in India, 2013-2023
This study demonstrates that the long-term decline in suicide rates in India has reversed, with suicide rates continuing to rise between 2017 and 2023.Using national data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the study provides an up-to-date analysis of suicide trends in India and highlights that the recent increase has been driven predominantly by men.The findings identify substantial variation across states and Sociodemographic Index (…
Australian media professionals’ views on reporting suicide and evidence-informed guidelines
Collaborating with media to promote safe reporting of suicide is recognized as a promising population-level prevention strategy. While Australian media professionals are broadly aware of, and supportive of, existing guidelines for reporting suicide, variability in agreement with specific recommendations suggests a need to further explore underlying views and perceptions about reporting suicide and associated guidelines. This study analyzed respon…
Developing guidelines for supporting employees disclosing suicidal distress while working
Work plays an important role in supporting employees to enjoy mental wellbeing and a sense of purpose and meaning while contributing to productive workplaces. However, some employees experience suicidal distress while working. When disclosing suicidal distress to seek and receive help, employees may face barriers in receiving compassionate and supportive responses. Integrated workplace mental health approaches emphasise protecting and promoting g…
‘From that time onwards my role changed’. Disclosing suicidality in Australian workplaces a qualitative study
Individuals experiencing suicidality at work may face complex disclosure decisions, involving assessing the risks versus benefits of disclosure or non-disclosure. This study aimed to identify barriers and enablers to disclosing suicidality in workplaces and to explore the responses, support, and accommodation needs for workers experiencing suicidality. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 30 working adults who report…
Alcohol restrictions and suicide rates in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic
BACKGROUND: Alcohol use is a well-established potentially modifiable risk factor for suicide, yet few studies have investigated the impact of alcohol restrictions on suicide rates, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We used data from nationally representative annual surveys of postmortem investigations in 2017 (n=6117) and 2020/21 (n=6586) to estimate changes in suicide rates associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and relat…
Foundations of the Alive National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation
The ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation was established in 2021. Funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council's Special Initiative in Mental Health, the Centre aims to foster innovation in mental health care. Central to this aim is embedding the voices of those with lived experience into all Centre structures and activities including leadership and co-design of research priorities for mental healt…
How do Australian social media users experience self-harm and suicide-related content? A National cross-sectional survey comparing young people and adults
Rates of self-harm and suicide appear to be increasing in young people and many attribute this to social media use. However, high quality studies examining young people’s experiences of self-harm and suicide-related content on social media, and the impact on wellbeing, are lacking. An online national cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024. Quota sampling was used. Participants from across Australia were recruited from…
Boys Do Cry
Suicides by men account for three-quarters of all Australian suicides. This increased risk may relate to the traditional masculine norm of ‘self-reliance’, which can hinder men from seeking help when experiencing mental health difficulties. We created and tested the effects of a four-minute, purpose-designed music video, ‘Boys Do Cry’, to encourage Australian men to show emotion and reach out to others when facing mental health difficulties. A to…
Boys Do Cry
ANZCTR No. 2,621,001,008,819. Registered 30 July 2021
Trends in suicide among adolescents aged 14–17 years in India
This study investigates the epidemiology of adolescent suicide in India, addressing the limited research on the subject. Data on adolescent suicide (14–17 years) by sex and state were obtained from the National Crimes Records Bureau for 2014–2019, which included acquiring unpublished data from 2016 to 2019. Crude suicide rates for the period 2014–2019 were calculated by sex and state. Rate ratios (RRs) by sex and state were also calculated to ass…
What factors influence Australian media professionals' level of agreement with guidelines for reporting suicide
This study examined whether Australian media professionals agree with guidelines for reporting suicide (Mindframe guidelines) and the factors that may influence their level of agreement. Participants completed an online survey to assess their level of agreement with Mindframe guidelines and to explore factors that might be associated with guideline agreement. These factors included demographic variables, suicide stigma, exposure to suicide, perce…
Jelena Dokic's suicide-related social media post and the worldwide media's portrayal of a story of survival
Objective: Coverage and public communication about suicide represent a major public health concern given the potential for identification and imitation. Yet when celebrities survive a suicidal crisis, it presents an opportunity to model adaptive coping. Tennis star Jelena Dokic's June 2022 Instagram post recounting her experience overcoming suicidal thoughts represents a unique natural experiment to characterize media coverage of a celebrity surv…
Attributable risk of suicide for populations in Australia
Considerable reductions in the overall suicide rate in Australia may occur if risk factors are addressed in identified populations with large PAF estimates. These estimates should be considered as an adjunct to other important inputs into suicide prevention policy priorities
Government funded suicide prevention in Australia – an environmental scan
Current government emphasis on and investment in suicide prevention activity, together with strong commitment to lived experience and cross sectorial collaboration, are substantial and appropriate. There are also many opportunities to further progress cross-portfolio and cross-jurisdiction suicide prevention and response efforts. This requires urgently adopting a shared understanding of suicide, which includes the diverse drivers of suicidal dist…
Supporting Adolescents Bereaved by Suicide or Other Traumatic Death
Adolescents bereaved by suicide and other traumatic death may experience strong grief reactions and increased risks of mental health problems and suicidal behaviour. As timely access to professional help can be critical, it is essential to understand how counselors perceive suicide bereavement in adolescents and how they work with this population. This study aimed to examine the perspectives of counselors ( N = 34). Eleven participated in an indi…
Supplemental Material for A Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial of Men in Mind
A randomized wait-list controlled trial of Men in Mind
Improved engagement of men in psychotherapy is an essential element in improving male health outcomes. This trial examined whether the Men in Mind intervention improved practitioners' self-rated clinical competencies to engage and respond to male clients in therapy. A parallel, single-blind, wait-list randomized controlled trial was conducted with Australian-based mental health practitioners, currently administering psychotherapy to males, fluent…
Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of the Men in Mind training for mental health practitioners to enhance their clinical competencies for working with male clients
The trial was registered prospectively with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on 3rd December 2021 (ACTRN12621001669886)
Social Media Sentiments on Suicides at the New York City Landmark, Vessel
Vessel is a landmark created by Heatherwick Studio where visitors can enjoy views of New York City from different heights and perspectives. However, between February 2020 and July 2021, four individuals jumped to their deaths from the landmark. Effective preventive solutions have yet to be identified, and the site is currently closed. In this study, we examined the trajectory of public sentiment on the suicide-related activity at Vessel on Twitte…
I Called When I Was at My Lowest”
Background: Helplines are an accessible form of support for people struggling with difficulties in their lives and are key services in suicide prevention and intervention. Men's experiences of telephone helplines are not well understood, despite high male suicide rates. Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey with N = 684 Australian men (aged 17-83 years, M = 50.13) using open- and closed-ended questions about their experiences of …
Suicide trends in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic
Patterns of Suicide in the Context of Covid-19
Aims: We aimed to determine whether there has been a change in the number of suicides occurring in three Australian states overall, and in age and sex subgroups, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and to see if certain risk factors for suicide have become more prominent as likely underlying contributing factors for suicide. Method: Using real-time data from three state-based suicide registers, we ran multiple unadjusted and adjusted interrupted t…
Contextual Barriers and Enablers to Safewards Implementation in Victoria, Australia
Background: Safewards is a complex psychosocial intervention designed to reduce conflict and containment on inpatient mental health units. There is mounting international evidence of the effectiveness and acceptability of Safewards. However, a significant challenge exists in promising interventions, such as Safewards, being translated into routine practice. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) provides a framework through…
A Pilot Case-Control Study of the Social Media Activity Following Cluster and Non-Cluster Suicides in Australia
Social media may play a role in the "contagion" mechanism thought to underpin suicide clusters. Our pilot case-control study presented a novel methodological approach to examining whether Facebook activity following cluster and non-cluster suicides differed. We used a scan statistic to identify suicide cluster cases occurring in spatiotemporal clusters and matched each case to 10 non-cluster control suicides. We identified the Facebook accounts o…
Finding a safe space”
Experiencing a death by suicide is a devastating event in the lives of adolescents; however, little is known about what makes help helpful according to their experiences. Thematic analysis of individual and group interview data ( N = 18) yielded four themes: feeling connected with, and understood by a helper, having a sense of control over, and access to the help as needed. Findings indicate that help should be based on supportive and educational…
The relationship between media reporting of suicide and actual suicide in Australia
Spatial analysis of suicide mortality in Australia
Changes in suicide rates following media reports on celebrity suicide
Impact of Australia's Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care program on psychologists
The aim of this paper was to consider the impact on psychologists of one component of the Australian Government's Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care (BOiMHC) program, namely the Access to Allied Psychological Services (ARAPY) component. This supports psychologists and general practitioners (GPs) to work together to provide optimal mental health care, via 102 projects being conducted by Divisions of General Practice. The paper was informed by d…
How do frequent users of crisis helplines differ from other users regarding their reasons for calling? Results from a survey with callers to Lifeline, Australia's national crisis helpline service
Crisis helplines are designed to provide short-term support to people in an immediate crisis. However, there is a group of users who call crisis helplines frequently over an extended period of time. The reasons for their ongoing use remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the reasons for calling between frequent and other users of crisis helplines. This was achieved by examining the findings from a brief survey…
Suicide in adults released from prison in Queensland, Australia
BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated elevated mortality following release from prison. We contrasted the risk of opioid overdose death with the risk of suicide in a cohort of adults released from prison in Queensland, Australia over a 14-year-period. We examine risk factors for suicide in the cohort, and make comparisons with the general population. METHOD: We constructed a retrospective cohort of all adults released from prison between…
Psychologists' Experiences with the Better Access Initiative
The Australian Government's Better Access initiative was introduced in late 2006 to increase treatment rates for people with mental disorders. It provides for reimbursement of psychologists' services through Medicare. The current pilot study examines the experiences of psychologists with this initiative. A random sample of 204 of 4,235 psychologists in private practice was approached and 73 psychologists (36%) were interviewed. The current study …
A Retrospective Quasi-Experimental Study of a Transitional Housing Program for Patients with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness
Integrating Psychologists into the Canadian Health Care System
Portrayal of depression and other mental illnesses in Australian nonfiction media
This study describes Australian media portrayal of mental illnesses, focusing on depression. A random sample of 1,123 items was selected for analysis from a pool of 13,389 nonfictional media items about mental illness collected between March 2000 and February 2001. Depression was portrayed more frequently than other mental illnesses. Items about depression, eating disorders, and substance use disorders most commonly described policies or programs…
Finding a safe space”
Experiencing a death by suicide is a devastating event in the lives of adolescents; however, little is known about what makes help helpful according to their experiences. Thematic analysis of individual and group interview data ( N = 18) yielded four themes: feeling connected with, and understood by a helper, having a sense of control over, and access to the help as needed. Findings indicate that help should be based on supportive and educational…
Ethical Concerns in Suicide Research
Researchers and research ethics committees share a common goal of conducting ethically sound research. However, little is known of researchers' experiences in obtaining ethics approval for suicide-related studies. This study aimed to investigate what concerns researchers have received on suicide-related ethics applications and how they dealt with it. Thirty-four respondents, recruited through the International Association for Suicide Prevention, …
Using Social Media Networks to Engage Men in Conversations on Masculinity and Suicide
We analyzed comments published on the Man Up Facebook page ( manuptvseries) during the roll-out of the Man Up digital campaign. The aim was to gain insight into how the public perceived the Man Up campaign and the conversation topics that the campaign instigated. We downloaded Facebook threads (posts and comments) from the manuptvseries page using NCapture and performed conventional content analysis on a random set of comments ( n = 2,236) to ide…
Can Watching a Television Documentary Change the Way Men View Masculinity
Men’s conformity to masculine norms, such as stoicism and self-reliance, has been shown to be associated with a range of negative psychological outcomes. We developed Man Up—a three-part documentary that examined the link between masculinity, mental health, and suicide for men in Australia. We conducted a multifaceted evaluation that included a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and a web survey. RCT participants and web survey respondents were as…
Can a documentary increase help-seeking intentions in men? A randomised controlled trial
Background We investigated whether a public health intervention—a three-part documentary called Man Up which explored the relationship between masculinity and mental health, well-being and suicidality—could increase men’s intentions to seek help for personal and emotional problems. Methods We recruited men aged 18 years or over who were not at risk of suicide to participate in a double-blind randomised controlled trial. Participants were randomly…
Does Gender Explain the Relationship Between Occupation and Suicide? Findings from a Meta-Analytic Study
Towards a shared understanding
Predictors of suicides occurring within suicide clusters in Australia, 2004-2008
Portrayal of depression and other mental illnesses in Australian nonfiction media
This study describes Australian media portrayal of mental illnesses, focusing on depression. A random sample of 1,123 items was selected for analysis from a pool of 13,389 nonfictional media items about mental illness collected between March 2000 and February 2001. Depression was portrayed more frequently than other mental illnesses. Items about depression, eating disorders, and substance use disorders most commonly described policies or programs…
Impact of Australia's Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care program on psychologists
The aim of this paper was to consider the impact on psychologists of one component of the Australian Government's Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care (BOiMHC) program, namely the Access to Allied Psychological Services (ARAPY) component. This supports psychologists and general practitioners (GPs) to work together to provide optimal mental health care, via 102 projects being conducted by Divisions of General Practice. The paper was informed by d…
The relationship between media reporting of suicide and actual suicide in Australia
Utilisation of findings from the evaluation of a major primary mental health care initiative in Australia
Much has been written about evaluation utilisation from a theoretical perspective, but relatively less emphasis has been given to empirical studies that examine how the findings from given evaluations are utilised. The current study examined the nature and extent of utilisation of the findings from an ongoing evaluation of a key component of a major national primary mental health care initiative in Australia. The initiative is known as the Better…
Integrating Psychologists into the Canadian Health Care System
Contribution to knowledge about media professionals’ experiences with reporting suicide. A commentary on Collings and Kemp
Psychologists' Experiences with the Better Access Initiative
The Australian Government's Better Access initiative was introduced in late 2006 to increase treatment rates for people with mental disorders. It provides for reimbursement of psychologists' services through Medicare. The current pilot study examines the experiences of psychologists with this initiative. A random sample of 204 of 4,235 psychologists in private practice was approached and 73 psychologists (36%) were interviewed. The current study …
The prevention access and risk taking in young people (Party) project protocol
ISRCTN16059206
Changes in suicide rates following media reports on celebrity suicide
Spatial analysis of suicide mortality in Australia
Suicide by occupation
Mental health affects future employment as job loss affects mental health
BACKGROUND: Workforce participation is a key feature of public mental health and social inclusion policies across the globe, and often a therapeutic goal in treatment settings. Understanding the reciprocal relationship between participation and mental health has been limited by inadequate research methods. This is the first study to simultaneously examine and contrast the relative effects of unemployment on mental health and mental health on empl…
A Retrospective Quasi-Experimental Study of a Transitional Housing Program for Patients with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness
What happens to coroners’ recommendations for improving public health and safety? Organisational responses under a mandatory response regime in Victoria, Australia
Only a third of coroners' recommendations were implemented by the organisations to which they were directed. In drawing policy lessons, it is important to separate recommendations that were rejected from those in which action had already been taken. Rejected recommendations raise questions about the quality of the recommendations, the reasonableness of the organisation's response, or both. Supplanted recommendations focus attention on the adequac…
Evaluating the Better Access Initiative
The Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule initiative (Better Access) aims to improve outcomes for people with common mental disorders by encouraging a multidisciplinary approach to their mental health care. The current paper presents consumers' views on Better Access. A total of 936 consumers completed a structured survey or took part in an interview about their experiences …
Suicide in adults released from prison in Queensland, Australia
BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated elevated mortality following release from prison. We contrasted the risk of opioid overdose death with the risk of suicide in a cohort of adults released from prison in Queensland, Australia over a 14-year-period. We examine risk factors for suicide in the cohort, and make comparisons with the general population. METHOD: We constructed a retrospective cohort of all adults released from prison between…
Predictors of suicides occurring within suicide clusters in Australia, 2004-2008
The Australian longitudinal study on male health sampling design and survey weighting
The extent to which the Ten to Men sampling design is accounted for in any analysis of the baseline data will depend on the research question. When the goals of the analysis are to estimate the prevalence of a disease or risk factor in the population or the magnitude of a population-level exposure-outcome association, our advice is to adopt an analysis that respects the sampling design
Why do men go to the doctor? Socio-demographic and lifestyle factors associated with healthcare utilisation among a cohort of Australian men
The majority of men (61 %) did not engage in regular health check-up visits, representing a missed opportunity for preventative health care discussions. Lower consultation rates may translate into lost opportunities to detect and intervene with problems early and this is where men may be missing out compared to women
Life stress and suicidal ideation in Australian men – cross-sectional analysis of the Australian longitudinal study on male health baseline data
Life events appear to be related to suicidal ideation independent of depression, anxiety and harmful alcohol use in adult males, however if life events occur in the context of depression that risk is substantially increased
Inequalities in socio-economic characteristics and health and wellbeing of men with and without disabilities
Adult men with disabilities experience marked social and economic disadvantage and poorer health and wellbeing. Improving the health and wellbeing of disabled men should be a priority for public health researchers and policy-makers
The Australian longitudinal study on male health-methods
Ten to Men is a unique resource for investigating male health and wellbeing. Wave 1 data are available for approved research projects
Psychosocial job quality, mental health, and subjective wellbeing
These results extend the study of psychosocial job quality to demonstrate associations with a global measure of subjective wellbeing. Ten to Men represents a valuable new resource for the longitudinal and life course study of work and health in the Australian male population
Age Matters
The importance of addressing health disparities experienced by boys and men reached tangible prominence in Australia with adoption of the 2010 National Male Health Policy and the establishment of a national longitudinal study on male health-Ten to Men. Ten to Men is based on a holistic model of health with a strong focus on social determinants and health and well-being over the life course. Given the life course focus, we set out to assess if hea…
How do frequent users of crisis helplines differ from other users regarding their reasons for calling? Results from a survey with callers to Lifeline, Australia's national crisis helpline service
Crisis helplines are designed to provide short-term support to people in an immediate crisis. However, there is a group of users who call crisis helplines frequently over an extended period of time. The reasons for their ongoing use remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in the reasons for calling between frequent and other users of crisis helplines. This was achieved by examining the findings from a brief survey…
Medicine (58 works) · Psychology (44 works) · Psychiatry (38 works) · Suicide prevention (35 works) · Poison control (34 works) · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies (34 works) · Mental health (30 works) · Environmental health (24 works) · Public health (20 works) · Nursing (18 works)