@jessstohlmann @TraumaKween @madabolitionist

Information about suicide, why people die by suicide, and its impact on communities has historically been created, controlled, and disseminated by researchers funded through government and academic institutions.

Access to the information is limited for people who need it most, the general population and people affected by suicide. Limitations are put in place in a number of ways: the language is inaccessible for most people, they are frequently published in journals that require payment to access, and people performing the research are interpreting its meaning often without the input of people with lived experience.

This SPSM Chat will focus on the injustices in the creation of knowledge and what can be done to resist their impact.

Questions for the twitter audience:

• What kinds of suicide knowledge production are most relevant or important to you?
• What opportunities could come from prioritizing strategies that are not evidence based?
• What can be done to ensure that people get to tell their own stories, not just have them shared by research and prevention orgs?
• How should information about suicide be collected and disseminated?

Jess Stohlmann-Rainey is a researcher, trainer, and advocate serving as the Director of Program Development at Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners. She has focused her career on creating pathways to intersectional, justice-based, emotional support for marginalized communities. Her work has been published/featured in Mad in America, the RMIRECC’s Short Takes on Suicide Prevention, No Restraints with Rudy Caseras, Postvention in Action: The International Handbook of Suicide Bereavement, and The Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Jess centers her lived expertise as an ex-patient and suicide attempt and loss survivor in her work. She lives in Denver, CO with her partner (Jon) and a 16 year old chiweenie (Marty), and has a taxidermied two-headed duckling (Phil & Lil) for an office mate. You can check out her website, or find her on Twitter or Facebook for a steady stream of opinions and geriatric dog photos.

TraumaKween – TK (she/her) identifies as “hella borderline” and is an Anarchist, Mad Pride activist and Peer Support Specialist, writer and creative living in so-called Denver, CO. Her own experience of forced treatment and hospitalization has helped her understand the horrors that mad people endure as a result. An essential part of her work involves empowering others with mental health challenges/conditions to advocate for themselves inside and outside the mental health systems.

Emily Sheera Cutler is Mad, disabled, and proud of it. She is passionate about creating spaces in which people can express their true thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences without fear of judgment.

Her views and perspectives presented do not represent any school, workplace, or organization that she is affiliated with. As a future counselor, she will uphold the ethical and professional standards for licensed mental health counselors and abide by all legal mandated reporting requirements.