How a sibling bond launched a suicide prevention advocacy mission

For Melanie Clark, the path to advocacy began with a profound and enduring bond of love for her little brother.

At just seven years old, Mel took on the role of caregiver and protector after her family was fractured by divorce, looking after her sibling, who was three years younger.

"Family advocacy was at the heart of everything I did because it was a way to get through it myself and to support my brother through what he needed at the time,” she said.

“It was an act of survival to make it through a series of adverse childhood experiences."

For more than two decades, Mel navigated the complex landscape of mental health services as her brother's fiercest advocate during his ongoing struggle with suicidality, substance use, disability, and mental health challenges.

The fragmentary nature of that system posed significant challenges. Service gaps across the mental health, suicide prevention, and alcohol and drug sectors led to a tendency to try to categorise individuals under a single heading rather than treating the person and their experiences as a whole.

"There's also an expectation that families will reach out when there's a crisis or distress.   Families are wondering whether the services can actually hold our capacity, whether they meet our needs,” Mel said.

"Recovery is also lifelong, and for families that come alongside, it does require deep love to do that because it's messy and can be both hurtful and rewarding.”

“Families often have so much to offer in terms of supporting treatment outcomes when they are supported and involved.”

Despite the hurdles, Mel’s unwavering dedication to her brother's well-being yielded a glimmer of hope.

“He had an amazing connection with someone in his last formal admission to a mental health service, and something stuck," she said.

"They treated him with dignity and respect in a different way. Our family was involved early in the treatment plans and something stuck. From that, he managed to have a medication review. He was also able to see his diagnosis as something different."

Tragically, Mel lost her brother in 2022, although not to suicide. While the loss was devastating, her commitment to her mission has not wavered.

"Whilst my advocacy still lives on and he lives on through me, never did our family or myself expect that I would be working in suicide prevention," she said.

"It's not about success doing this work. It's about significance and the difference that you can make in people's lives."

Melanie emphasised the far-reaching impact of suicide, and the effect it has on loved ones, family units, and the broader community.

It’s why she continues to advocate for greater support for families and caregivers, recognising their vital role in the process and offering a message of hope for recovery.

To those supporting loved ones through suicidal distress, Mel says it is essential to remember that this journey is about “doing it together and not being afraid to speak up”.

Mel acknowledged that it can be difficult to find hope when facing suicide, whether as an individual, a loved one, an advocate or a worker.

But appreciating the small wins can carry you a long way.

"Even in the hardest of times, it doesn't matter how messy it is, there's always a potential positive shift or a change in circumstance that will come. Patience and perseverance is a long game,” Mel said.

“I always want to invite and encourage people to hold fast to hope because there is always hope to be found.”

Melanie Clark has been involved with SafeSide Prevention since 2020. She is currently SafeSide’s Family Advocate and Program Coordinator.