Recently, there was a shocking increase in the number of suicides amongst young people in the Netherlands, making suicide the main cause of death. Even when young people are in care, often health care professionals and parents are not aware of their suicidal ideations. Peer-support could play an essential role in opening up about these ideations and facilitating conversations, as peer support can lower the threshold, make help more appropriate and provide a role model. In 2018, the @ease youth walk-in centres were launched in the Netherlands. In these centres, young people aged 12-25 with mental health problems find free and anonymous support. Young adult peers, often with lived experience, are trained and professionally supervised to provide this support. These peer counsellors have been trained in active listening, solution-focused strategies, motivational interviewing and suicide prevention. In every conversation, they ask about suicide, and they are trained to discuss and act in case of suicide ideations and plans. Health care professionals are on site and psychiatrists on call available for consultation.
Of all visiting young people, 97.1% had clinical psychological distress levels and 30% presented with suicidal ideations, of which 30% made specific plans to end their lives. The vast majority of @ease visitors with suicidal ideations had not received any form of support yet in the last three months. Therefore, the current study, funded by the national government, investigates ways to strengthen the collaboration between @ease’s peer-support and primary care practices, including GPs, and on site psychologists, as they are the gate keepers to mental health care in the Netherlands. Optimizing the collaboration between @ease and GP practices could majorly improve care for young people with mental health problems and suicidal ideations. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires are used to systematically map out the experiences and needs of young people, peers and healthcare providers, on the basis of which we develop tools for optimal alignment of primary care and peer-support for young people with mental health problems and suicidal ideations. First results show that peer support can bridge gaps in unmet needs within healthcare and social circles, potentially alleviating strain on overwhelmed care systems. A personalised approach in addressing the diverse needs of each individual is essential.