More than 200 representatives from charities, local government and organisations supporting people affected by domestic abuse and suicidality joined Advance’s World Suicide Prevention Day webinar to explore the links between gender, domestic abuse and suicide.
Woman’s Trust Counselling Manager Nirma Bheeroo joined the panel alongside Sharon Holland, Advance Lived Experience Ambassador and campaigner, and Dr Hannana Siddiqui, Director of Policy, Campaigns & Research at Southall Black Sisters. The discussion was chaired by Amrita Brar, Advance’s Head of Domestic Abuse Services.
Nirma spoke about the impact domestic abuse can have on women’s mental health and the importance of specialist, trauma-informed support for survivors.
The discussion reflects the concerns highlighted in Woman’s Trust’s Living Without Hope report, which examines the relationship between domestic abuse and suicide and the gaps in support available to women experiencing suicidal thoughts and attempts following abuse.
Through the report and its wider Living Without Hope campaign, Woman’s Trust is calling for greater recognition of the role domestic abuse can play in suicidal crisis, better learning from cases where women survive suicide attempts, and sustained investment in specialist mental health support for survivors.
Sharon Holland shared her experience of losing her daughter Chloe to suicide while she was in an abusive relationship, and spoke about the need for professionals to better understand coercive control and its psychological impact.
She said professionals need to be trauma-informed and able to recognise that survivors may respond to prolonged abuse in different ways, including presenting as distressed, volatile or erratic.
The discussion also explored how racism, poverty, insecure immigration status and barriers to specialist support can increase women’s experiences of isolation and entrapment.
For Woman’s Trust, the webinar reinforced the need for domestic abuse and mental health services to work together to identify risk earlier and ensure survivors can access specialist support.
Watch the full webinar on YouTube
See our Living Without Hope campaign
Read our full Mental Health Strategy consultation response
