About Better Off With You

Better Off With You draws on the power of peer-to-peer storytelling – sharing the experiences of individuals who have had suicidal thoughts and survived suicide attempts, as well as individuals who have experienced difficult times and prioritised their wellbeing by seeking help. It aims to reach people in the community who are either experiencing poor mental health or those at risk or contemplating suicide. As many as 500,000 Australians have attempted suicide at some point in their lives and sharing their experiences can help others who are in distress. The campaign seeks to challenge the perceptions of those who are contemplating suicide that they are a burden on their family, friends and other people. The campaign concept draws on Thomas Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, which identifies ‘perceived burdensomeness’ as a key belief in individuals who are having suicidal thoughts.

In the initial trial, two Primary Health Network partners selected targeted areas within their regions to undertake the campaign pilot - the Northern Beaches in Sydney, New South Wales; and the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac area in Northern Queensland. These locations were selected as areas of need due to high rates of suicide, and also chosen based on their community readiness (including having established local suicide prevention action planning groups and coordination within their local services to respond to people during suicidal crisis). The initial campaign pilot was developed with strong engagement and consultation with local task forces, services, community groups and other organisations. The Better Off With You pilot contributed to strategy five of the Black Dog Institute’s LifeSpan framework for community-based suicide prevention planning, Engaging the Community, and is articulated as a key activity in the local actions plans within the two target areas.

The two PHN partners identified target groups within their communities, focusing on those with higher rates of suicidal risk, based on local data. Aligned with these target groups, local people with a personal experience of suicide (including feelings of being a burden on others) were engaged and supported by SANE Australia as storytellers for the campaign. As part of extending the campaign statewide in NSW during 2025, additional lived experience storytellers were engaged and supported to share their experiences, including a video sharing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person’s perspective.

In late 2025, with support from NSW Health, SANE led a statewide digital campaign to extend the original reach and campaign scope to help men across the state who may be experiencing poor mental health or at risk of suicide. Through a combined digital marketing and media campaign, profiles of men who have experienced difficulties and worked through challenges were promoted to foster help seeking and encourage men to speak out, encouraging them to take small practical steps including sharing what they are experiencing in targeted spaces within SANE’s community forums. This campaign will be delivered as part of ongoing development of digital suicide prevention initiatives building on SANE’s innovative mental health services.

The Better Off With You campaign pilot’s iterative design and delivery is informed by research activities including focus groups and user testing undertaken within the two targeted communities. The evaluation study of the campaign pilot investigates the safety, feasibility, and initial effectiveness of an integrated multichannel suicide prevention campaign which uses first person peer-to-peer storytelling to reduce perceived burdensomeness.

Our article in the Journal of Medical Internet Research – Formative Research shows how important insights from people with lived experience were in informing the development of Better Off With You. Understanding the needs and preferences of people with lived experience of suicidal thoughts and actions was critical to making this award-winning campaign engaging, safe and meaningful. Find out more about the focus groups and user testing sessions we carried out as part of the research that shaped Better Off With You in the article.