By Mike Searles*
AMIE Simpson is baking cookies in her kitchen to help raise awareness of suicide prevention.
Twenty-nine year-old pastry chef Simpson, pictured, owns Amie Jane’s Sweets & Treats and is baking special cookies and treats to help raise money for R U OK? Day, Thursday 8 September.
“I’m hoping to sell 500 or so cookies for the charity event. One school has already ordered 200 cookies, so we are off to an encouraging start”, Simpson said.
She has 12 years’ experience as a pastry chef, including studying pastry cooking in Italy and has a certified commercial kitchen at the home she shares with her husband and their young daughter.
“My husband and I have private reasons for supporting the R U OK? Day concept of raising the awareness of mental health and wellness” Simpson said.
The non-profit suicide prevention organisation R U OK? was founded in 2009 by advertiser Gavin Larkin following the 1995 suicide of his father, Barry Larkin.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows that around nine lives are lost daily to suicide. According to ABS, there were 3139 recorded deaths in 2020 due to intentional self-harm.
For every recorded death there are multiple attempted suicides. There are an estimated 65,000 suicide attempts in Australia each year.
It is further estimated that more than 500,000, or about one in every 50 Australians have attempted suicide at some time in their lives.
More than 10 million Australian adults are estimated to know someone who has died by suicide, and one in two young people are affected by suicide by the time they turn 25.
Both mental and behavioural disorders and psychosocial risk factors were present in more than two thirds of suicides.
Risk factors for men include: a personal history of self-harm (19.5 per cent of suicides), disruption of family by separation and divorce (14 per cent), and problems in a relationship with a spouse or partner (11.8 per cent).
The three most frequently occurring risk factors for women were: a personal history of self-harm (32.8 per cent of suicides), problems in a relationship with a spouse or partner (10.9 per cent), and disappearance or death of a family member (9.7 per cent).
Suicide is preventable and to help spread that message the annual R U OK? Day is dedicated to inspiring everyone to have regular, meaningful conversations to support those in our world who may be struggling with life.
It advocates people starting a simple conversation with others with the easy to recall question, “Are you OK?”.
When asking someone “Are you OK?” we don’t have to take on the responsibility to fix problems or take away their pain, we just need to help them feel supported and help connect them, if needed, to appropriate support.
For details about Amie Simpson’s baking for charity, visit Amie Jane’s Sweets & Treats online or for more about R U OK? Day go to ruok.org.au
If you find life tough or need extra support, call Lifeline anytime on 13 11 14.
*Mike Searles is an associate of Suicide Prevention Australia.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 6 September 2022
