Help is at your fingertips: World’s first suicide prevention app, which targets

indigenous young people, set to launch

iBobbly, the world’s first suicide prevention app, set to be launched
The app aims to reduce the rates of suicide among indigenous Australians
Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australian young people
Rates of suicide five times higher among young indigenous people than non-indigenous youth

PUBLISHED: 05:08 GMT, 11 August 2014 | UPDATED: 09:17 GMT, 11 August 2014

The world’s first suicide prevention app is set to be launched in Australia, specifically targeting young people in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.

iBobbly is a joint venture between Black Dog Institute and the Western Australia based suicide prevention group Alive and Kicking Goals and aims to reach young people in indigenous communities.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among all Australians aged between 15 and 44 years-old and accounts for 1.6 percent of all deaths on a national level. But among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, suicide counts for 4.2 percent of all deaths and the suicide rate of young indigenous Australians is five times higher than the rate for non-indigenous youth.

iBobbly is the first suicide prevention app in the world and aims to reduce the rate of suicide among indigenous Australians

‘We know what the risk factors are for suicide in the general population and those risk factors are more prevalent in some Aboriginal communities – social and econ disadvantage, isolation, and we know that when unemployment goes up so does the rate of suicide,’ Dr Fiona Shand, research fellow at Black Dog Institute told Daily Mail Australia.

‘That’s only one part of it though, what we know is that there’s been clusters of suicide, it gets to a level in some communities where suicide becomes a normal coping mechanism,’ she said.

The app, the first of its kind in the world, derives its name from a Kimberley greeting, “Ay bubbly?”, which means “Hey brother, how you doing?”

Its aim is to decrease suicidal thinking and increase help-seeking among indigenous youth, particularly those in remote communities which are often lacking essential health services.

‘We know that indigenous Australians are not seeking face to face mental health care, more than 70 percent of indigenous suicides occur in people who are not previously known to health services,’ said Dr Shand.

‘Indigenous youth have a high rate of mobile phone usage so it makes sense that we engage them on technology they are comfortable with and able to use in their own private time.’

The app, the first of its kind in the world, derives its name from a Kimberley greeting

The app is a joint venture between Black Dog Institute and WA-based charity Alive and Kicking Goals

The app aims to reach people who may not have access to mental health services in their community

Dr Shand and other researchers have spent the last year in the Kimberley region work-shopping the app and trying to find out how to reach indigenous youth.

The app works by teaching young people psychological lessons and helping them to deal with negative emotions through interactive games, which often draw from indigenous metaphors, images and stories.

Dr Fiona Shand, research fellow from the Black Dog Institute, has been working with local indigenous youth in the Kimberly, work-shopping methods to engage with indigenous youth

For example, says Dr Fiona Shand, the app uses metaphors drawn from nature to explain psychological concepts and has suggestions for dealing with emotions that are culturally relevant.

‘We suggest going and having a conversation with someone in your first language if your first language is an indigenous language [if feeling strong negative emotions], so some of those more culturally relevant activities,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.

Another aim of the app is to provide a way for indigenous young people to seek help anonymously, which is often impossible for people living in small.

‘What we know is that particularly among young men, the rate of help seeking incredibly low and one of the big barriers is shame. What we’re testing is whether an intervention that is relatively anonymous could help with that. If you’re living in a small community and everyone knows everyone, how do you anonymously seek help?’ said Dr Shand.

A pilot testing the government-funded app in the Kimberley is about to come to a close and the researchers will look to expand into a nationwide trial next year before launching.

Anyone who is suffering from depression or mental health issues should contact Lifeline on 131 114 (Australia) the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1800 273 8255 (USA) or the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 (UK), or a local help group