Conference Agenda

There is growing recognition that suicide is a deeply contextual issue, with recent research paying more attention to sociocultural factors leading to suicidality. An important way of capturing the importance of contexts when rethinking discussions on suicide is by amplifying lived experience-led perspectives. While lived experience is now central to suicidology, the views of migrant and refugee-background individuals and families are not well represented in the literature as well as in policy and practice discussions.

To explore suicidality from a different angle, this presentation proposes a focus on lived experiences of racism from migrant and refugee-background perspectives. Institutional racism and discrimination erode spaces of safety, which can lead to self-hatred, self-harm and suicide deaths. A cultural lens is useful to understand migrant and refugee experiences, but culture alone is not enough to explain what can lead to suicide. The dominant focus on academic notions of culture has eclipsed discussions on how lived experiences of racism are linked to suicidality. Lived experience narratives of racism and suicide remain peripheral to academic discourse, meaning that a broader strategy of inquiry is needed to remedy narrow approaches.

The discussion seeks to contextualise rather than merely pathologise migrant and refugee experiences, and goes beyond acculturation and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) framings that are predominantly linked to (forced) migration. A different appreciation of the contextual dimensions of suicide can inform a broader set of responses to make life more liveable for migrant and refugee-background individuals and families. This discussion points to the importance of a lived experience-led approach to guide new thinking on suicidality as an effective way to address current gaps in knowledge.

Background: Roma and Traveller communities are among the most historically and systemically excluded ethnic groups in Europe, experiencing disproportionate rates of suicide when compared to their majority counterparts. Underpinned by historical injustice and structural racism that fosters low personal and community agency, these disparities are shaped by profound inequities across the social determinants of health. Although they are often grouped in legislation, Roma and Traveller groups encompass heterogenous communities with distinct cultural identities that should be appropriately reflected in the design and delivery of mental health services.

Method: Consolidating evidence from varied international strategies, this rapid review identifies key dimensions of culturally competent mental health care for Roma and Traveller groups. Peer-reviewed articles related to indigenous mental health published between 2015-2025 were identified using an adapted PICO framework to search within the PsychInfo and Academic Search Complete research databases. The initial search resulted in 2815 records, of which 31 articles met the criteria for inclusion.

Results: Analysis of the 31 studies identified 13 dimensions of care which emerged as essential considerations for working with Roma and Traveller groups at all stages of the design, delivery, and enhancement of mental health services. These dimensions, which reflect a broad range of psychosocial, environmental, and relational factors, were grouped as subthemes under three overarching themes: (i) cultural awareness, (ii) collaborative health partnerships, and (iii) social determinants. In addition to these findings, co-created recommendations will be presented to reflect ongoing engagement with experts by experience to support the development of more holistic models of care.

Conclusion: Alongside greater initiatives for systemic change, mental health services must implement appropriately targeted cultural competence strategies that account for diverse historical and sociopolitical contexts. Delivering equitable mental health services to ethnic minorities demands a holistic systems approach that embeds cultural humility and centres the voices of marginalised groups.

Suicide is one of primary leading cause of death for Canadian youth. Research shows that immigrants are at a higher risk of suicidal ideation/attempts/death compared to the general population; and suicidal behaviour and immigration may be associated with one another. The current study aims to critically interrogate how immigrant parents make sense of losing their child by suicide.

This study is part of a larger study that examined parents’ perspectives on systems of care that engaged with their youth prior to suicide to improve access, quality of mental health care, and reduce youth suicide. Participants were parents/caregivers of a youth under 26 who died by suicide in the past 5 years. 17 participants were recruited through bereavement centres for virtual semi-structured interviews. For the presentation, we chose one case identified as the racialized immigrant to share an in-depth analysis. Using critical discourse analysis, we conducted both linguistic and social analyses on the parental post-suicide narratives and, to ensure an analytic rigor, triangulated the source of the data by adding the coroner’s report that highlighted views from a legal stance.

Linguistic analysis identified the mother’s narratives around questioning her own cultural values after her son’s suicide; receiving blame on for adverse family experiences as the immigrant family; and negotiating with worthy/unworthy immigrant discourses. Contextual analysis further elaborated her narratives around confusion understanding breakdowns in the system of care addressing bullying, mental health, and suicide; a coordination of authoritative statements labeling an immigrant child as troubled; and identifying racism as a primary contributor to all struggles for both the mother and son.

In-depth narratives from the immigrant youth parent on suicide are incredibly rich, offering critical perspectives that provide evidence on current research regarding how racism and stigma perpetuate ongoing disparities, marginalization, and oppression among vulnerable immigrant youth and their families.

Introduction:
Suicide disproportionately impacts Black communities, yet dominant suicidology often neglects the interplay of systemic oppression and individual meaning-making. This study examined Black female clinicians’ critical perspectives on suicide in Black communities.

Methods:
Narrative inquiry and thematic analysis were conducted with 14 licensed Black female clinicians from across the U.S. Participants shared their lived experiences, professional insights, and critical reflections on suicidality in Black communities.

Results:
Six core thematic characters emerged as central to understanding suicide in Black communities: shame, hopelessness, trauma, racism, systemic problems, and fear. Clinicians also noted the significance of violence, anger, and guilt, though to a lesser degree. Findings emphasized how intersecting oppressions and intergenerational trauma compound psychological suffering and suicidality.

Conclusions:
By centering marginalized voices, this study underscores the necessity of reframing suicide in Black communities as a multi-systemic issue, not merely an individual pathology. Implications are offered for assessment, intervention, policy, and research that prioritize justice, intersectionality, and cultural specificity.

The Bunun are a Taiwanese Indigenous group primarily residing at 500–1,500 meters along the Central Mountain Range, making them the highest-altitude Indigenous population. In October 2025, they numbered 64,958—about 10.4% of Taiwan’s Indigenous population—ranking as the fourth-largest group.

In a junior high school where the Bunun population exceeds 90% and over 40% of families are economically disadvantaged, Shen (2025a) found that 32.7% of students were reported for suicidal or self-injury behaviors—a prevalence significantly higher than the national average of 0.12%. Among them, Shen (2025b) revealed that nearly half initiated self-injury in 5th or 6th grade. Furthermore, two-thirds of the respondents had a record of self-injury more than 21 times, with some frequencies being innumerable. The youth mental health crisis in this Bunun tribe is alarming.

In this presentation, we will first delineate the adversity and trauma observed among indigenous youth during our fieldwork in this Bunun tribe since 2022. Subsequently, we will introduce our ongoing interventions that use a universal approach, including: (A) training the entire faculty of a junior high school to improve their knowledge, attitudes, and helping behavior in delivering culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed care; and (B) training Bunun language teachers of two elementary schools to integrate the "Bunun Folktales" Classroom Guidance Curriculum that we designed based on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach into indigenous language classes. While the project remains in progress, preliminary qualitative findings suggest that the interventions are feasible and well-received by faculty members. Additional quantitative and qualitative data will be presented in August.

This study contributes to knowledge on cultural and psychological resilience by addressing the impact of trauma on Bunun youth. Our intervention highlights the value of culturally responsive approaches to suicide and self-injury prevention in school settings, offering implications for global youth mental health efforts.

Commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Regional Resource Centers on Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention (RVTS) have developed Tryggere samtaler (Safer Talks), a comprehensive digital training program for helpline staff and volunteers. The tool aims to strengthen competence in suicide prevention through interactive learning modules and AI-driven conversation simulations for both phone and chat services.

The program covers essential topics such as suicide-preventive conversations, trauma-informed approaches, communication techniques, supporting relatives, and helper self-care. Each module combines theory, practical tools, and reflection exercises to ensure relevance and applicability. A key innovation is the integration of realistic simulation training, enabling experiential learning and immediate feedback.

A central focus of this keynote is the inclusion of Sami perspectives and cultural adaptation. Recognizing the importance of cultural sensitivity in crisis communication, RVTS collaborated with Sami experts and communities to ensure authentic representation. Measures include translating introductory films and conversation tools into Sami languages, integrating culturally relevant examples, and embedding reflection tasks that acknowledge diverse cultural experiences. This approach moves beyond token inclusion, establishing cultural awareness as a core principle throughout the program.

By addressing linguistic and cultural accessibility, Tryggere samtaler (Safer talks) seeks to reduce barriers for Sami users and promote equity in suicide prevention efforts. The keynote will demonstrate how these adaptations contribute to a more inclusive, responsive, and effective training resource—one that strengthens helpline services across Norway and serves as a model for culturally sensitive digital education.