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Getting to know PLOS Mental Health: Lived Experience & Advocacy on World Suicide Prevention Day

Over the last few months, PLOS Mental Health has shared some more information about some of their sections as well as the priorities of the Section Editors that are helping to lead the sections and the journals as a whole. For World Suicide Prevention Day, we hear more from Section Editor Sandersan Onie, who leads our Lived Experience & Advocacy Section alongside Ahmed Hankir.

*** Warning – the content below refers to suicide and may therefore be triggering to some.***

Please tell us a little about yourself

[SO] Hello! My name is Sandersan Onie, but I go by Sandy. I am a Research Fellow at the Black Dog Institute, UNSW Sydney, a Visiting Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, and an Adjunct Professor at Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia. My deepest desire is to see a healthier world where anyone can find the support they need when they need it.

Unfortunately, my family and I have a long history of lived experience of mental health conditions. Growing up, seeing the impact of anxiety and suicidal ideation on my family had a significant impact on my own life, leading to my major depressive episode. There were many days so dark that I genuinely did not think I would see the sunrise.

It’s one of my life’s greatest privileges to give back to the community and play my part in creating that healthier world as a scientist and advocate. Together with an incredible team, we lead several work streams. For example, we conduct research for the development of national suicide prevention strategies in over 25 countries across Southeast Asia, Western Pacific and Africa. We’ve used internet search and advertising algorithms to identify and reach individuals contemplating suicide who may not have help and have reached over 15 million people across multiple countries. We’ve worked with religious leaders in the development and signing of a unified religious statement for mental health and suicide at the G20, which led to Indonesia introducing suicide prevention in law.

Now, I am also a consultant for the World Health Organization in mental health and suicide prevention, advising low-to-middle income countries on their suicide prevention, and am the national representative of Indonesia to the International Association for Suicide Prevention. At the end of the day, we want to see a healthier world and know it takes different approaches to do so.

It’s one of my life’s greatest privileges to give back to the community and play my part in creating that healthier world as a scientist and advocate

What are your main areas of interest?

[SO] I think a big issue is I have too many interests! A problem that many of my colleagues share. However, my main area of interest at the moment is scalability and implementation. Often, what we see in the literature is divorced from reality – this is one reason we need lived-experience perspectives. Therefore, what can we do to help translate the research we have into real life positive impact for the population? This involves using scalable technologies and approaches, using ethnology to implement these findings, and being able to develop national strategies that can be implemented and evaluated in context.

Why did you agree to join PLOS Mental Health as a Section Editor?

[SO] I agreed to join PLOS Mental Health because we share a similar vision. The journal – led by its terrific editors and team – just wants to see a healthier world. A big key to this vision is integration of different viewpoints, particularly lived experience.

What kind of submissions would you like to see in the Lived Experience section and what do you think are the most pressing questions of your field at the moment?

[SO] Having been a lived experience advisor and principal investigator, I have had the privilege to see both sides of the coin. While the literature and advocacy for the elevation of lived experience viewpoints are gaining traction – more so in some countries than others – the critical next step is the practical and vital integration of lived experience viewpoints for better outcomes. In other words, it’s not enough to invite people to the table – its about the practical steps on when to do this, when not to do this, and how to ensure that at the end of the day, what comes out is for the benefit of the wider population, and not just the people at the table. This is a challenging question, and the path may be filled with conflict, but we need to learn how to work together effectively to help everyone.

…it’s not enough to invite people to the table – its about …how to ensure that at the end of the day, what comes out is for the benefit of the wider population, and not just the people at the table

PLOS Mental Health will continue to provide a platform for lived experience perspectives, whether that is through our initiatives or content. You can take a look at some of our publications that shine a spotlight on Lived Experience & Advocacy below:


Experience is central and connections matter: A Leximancer analysis of the research priorities of people with lived experience of mental health issues in Australia

“It’s so scary, and you’re so alone with it”: Clinicians’ perspectives on suicide risk management in integrated primary care

PLOS Mental Health: Elevating the voices of lived experience to combat structural barriers and improve mental health globally

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