Suicide in Australia


In 2016, the suicide rate in Australia was 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people, down from 6.6 per 100,000 people in 2007. 2,866 people died from suicide in Australia in 2016. The World Health Organization reported the rate of suicide in Australia at 10.4 per 100,000 people per year. The Australian Department of Health reported that the age standardised rate of suicide decreased from 14.7 per 100,000 people in 1997, to 10.3 in 2005.
Deaths from suicide occur among males at a rate three times greater than that for females. In 2016, the standardised death rate for males was 17.8 deaths per 100,000 people, while for females it was 5.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

Background information

In Australia, 48% of all suicides in 2000 were by 35 to 64-year-olds; an additional 13% were by 65 year olds and over. The suicide rates for children younger than 15 years is estimated to have increased by 92% between the 1960s to 1990s. Suicide rates are generally higher amongst males, rural and regional dwellers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Suicide prevention researcher, Gerry Georgatos has found that suicide rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly in the Kimberley, Northern Territory and far north Queensland regions, are among the highest in the world. He describes the high rates as "a humanitarian crisis."
For a death to be considered a suicide and counted as such in Australian statistics, three criteria need to be met:
  1. The death must be due to unnatural causes, such as injury, poisoning or suffocation rather than an illness
  2. The actions which result in death must be self-inflicted
  3. The person who injures himself or herself must have had the intention to die

A study suggest that 1-2% of the NSW population has contemplated suicide in 1992. This was estimated to be approximately 90 000 people out of a population of about 6 million.

Helplines

- 13 11 14 Menslink – 02 6287 2226
Suicide Prevention Australia
National suicide prevention strategy provides the platform for Australia's national policy on suicide prevention with an emphasis on promotion, prevention and early intervention. The main objectives of the strategy are:
Beyond Blue is a major organisation that is set up in Australia by Federal, state and territory governments to help with mental health issues as well as helping people deal with issues such as suicide.

Risk factors

Gender

In every state and territory of Australia, suicide is much more common among males than females, with the ratio standing at 3:1 in 2012.
According to hospital data, females are more likely to deliberately injure themselves than males. In the 2008–2009 financial year, 62% of those who were hospitalised due to self-harm were female.
Researchers have attributed the difference between attempted and completed suicides among the sexes to males using more lethal means to end their lives.
Suicide rates for both males and females have generally decreased since the mid-90s with the overall suicide rate decreasing by 23% between 1999 and 2009. Suicide rates for males peaked in 1997 at 23.6 per 100,000 but have steadily decreased since then and stood at 14.9 per 100,000 in 2009. Female rates reached a high of 6.2 per 100 000 in 1997. Rates declined after that and was 4.5 per 100 000 in 2009. Comparing sex differences in suicide rates need to consider differences across the lifespan. Since 2003, for females, suicide rates range from 4 – 6 suicides per 100 000 with no apparent age association, whilst for men suicide rates range from 10 – 30 suicides per 100 000 with substantive differences across the lifespan; those males in middle and older age report substantially increased rates of suicide.

Urban–rural differences

Overall suicide rates for males and females in Australia differ little between rural and urban areas. However, rates for young men are distinctly higher than women in rural settings. There are a number of different factors that contribute to this. The easy accessibility to firearms, lower socio-economic lifestyle and increased level of social isolation, all add to the higher rate of male suicide in rural Australia.

Alcohol

There is a strong correlation between alcohol and suicide in Australian young adults. Between 30-50% of suicides, detectable substances are found during post-mortem coronal investigations, with alcohol being the most common.

Age

The rate of suicide in Australian adolescents has gradually decreased, yet it still remains a prominent issue. Certain groups of young adults seem to be more at risk of potentially committing suicide. Youth of indigenous, rural or refugee backgrounds, as well as those in welfare, have been observed as having a higher rate of committing suicide. Young males tend to be more at risk than females.
Since 2003, age-standardised rates of suicide have been stable for females across the life course whilst for young adult men there have been declines of between 5 and 8 deaths per 100,000 but increases of between 4 and 7 deaths per 100,000 in middle-aged men. Middle and older-aged men continue to suicide at rates 4-6 times greater than females on average, and around at rates 2-3 times greater than teenage males.

Unemployment

Studies suggest that in men there is a high correlation between the number of suicides and the length of unemployment accompanied by a decrease in the national unemployment rates. The data also states that the longer the period of low employment the higher the rate of suicides in the age group of men between ages 25–34 and 55-64.

Statistics

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has kept data on suicide rates since 1981. The data collected by the ABS may underestimate the suicide rate, because people may kill themselves in such a manner that others mistake as an accidental death.

Mitigation efforts

In 1992, the National Health and Medical Research's Working Group was founded to examine suicide prevention in Australia.

List of notable cases