Bali’s mental health and suicide prevention service BISA to relaunch on Jan. 1, 2023 After several months of hiatus, Bali’s suicide prevention service, Love Inside Suicide Awareness (LISA), is set to go back online on Jan. 1 as a much-needed tool for anyone looking for mental health support.
BISA, which, besides the acronym, is also a tribute to a member of the local community who sadly took her own life years ago, was first launched in 2021 as a joint effort of 11 non-governmental organizations under the umbrella of Bali Bersama Bisa (Together We Can) Foundation to fill the vacuum of mental health support on the island.
While the helpline was warmly welcomed by the locals and foreigners alike in the community , challenges such as the lack of facilities and trained volunteers forced BISA to take a break in order to regroup.
A series of fundraising activities to reignite BISA took place this year (one of them being the 4×48 Mental Health Smashers hosted by Wanderlust Fitness Village). The hard work is finally coming to fruition, as BISA is set to relaunch online on Jan. 1.
“BISA is created by the community and for the community. It is inclusive to Indonesian and English-speaking speakers and we are free from any form of discrimination,” Nev Doidge, the acting manager of BISA project and the western representative of Bali Bersama Bisa, told Coconuts.
Doidge, who is also an addiction specialist and therapist, said that BISA’s website is a “place [where] people can find self help resources, services throughout Indonesia and information regarding emotional and mental wellbeing issues and practical tools to cope.”
Though the website is slated for a Jan. 1 official relaunch, it is now online to offer support during Christmas and New Year holidays. LISA’s hotline will follow suit very soon.
“A call center is currently being developed to relaunch in early 2023. LISA (Love Inside Suicide Awareness) Suicide Prevention Helpline online is looking for community support to help us relaunch Indonesia’s 1st 24/7 online Suicide Prevention Helpline and Services,” Doidge added.
This year alone, we have seen an alarming number of stories about people taking their own lives on the island. So any effort to prevent similar tragedies such as BISA’s deserve our unequivocal support.
You are not alone.
