"Networks change over time ... Can we change them on purpose?"
"Networks change over time ... Can we change them on purpose?"
That was the central challenge posed by Professor Tony Pisani at his keynote session The Network Effect: Turning Connection into Protection in Suicide Prevention, delivered at the Suicide Prevention Australia conference earlier this year.
Professor Pisani invited attendees to explore the structure of human relationships, not just feelings of support, as a vital, measurable, and modifiable factor in suicide prevention.
In this month’s episode of Never the Same, we’re sharing the full recording of Professor Pisani’s powerful keynote.
Drawing on network science and cultural traditions, he explained how relationship networks offer protection, especially when connections are strong and shared.
“There were actually lower suicide rates in schools where more students named the same trusted adults as their friends,” he said, highlighting that it's not only about having support, but about shared sources of support within a community.
One key insight from his research: people experiencing suicidal distress often become less connected to others over time.
“The ties between them and the group tend to trim,” Professor Pisani explained.
But in groups where cohesion is intentionally built and sustained, “the group kept people closer”, offering protection even when individuals didn’t disclose their struggles.
Professor Pisani introduced the Connect Program, developed with the U.S. Air Force and now being implemented with first responders in Western Australia.
He described it as “entirely built around active experiences … peer-to-peer learning … creating the conditions for people to interact, relate, hear from each other and learn from each other,” he said.
A gold-standard trial showed that it reduced suicide risk, depression, and workplace problems.
The keynote closed with a challenge: “Are there two colleagues who are not connected in your network whom you can connect?”
It’s through small, intentional connections, Professor Pisani suggested, that we begin to change networks on purpose, and prevent suicide through stronger, shared human ties.