Suicide in Australia explained

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the age standardised death rate for suicide in Australia, for the year 2019, was 13.1 deaths per 100,000 people; preliminary estimates for years 2020 and 2021 are respectively 12.1 and 12.0. In 2020, 3,139 deaths were due to suicide (2,384 males and 755 females); in 2021, 3,144 deaths were due to suicide (2,358 males and 786 females).^[1]

The World Health Organization reported the 2019 age standardised suicide rate in Australia at 11.3 per 100,000 people per year.^[2]

Deaths from suicide occur among males at a rate three times greater than that for females: in 2019, the standardised suicide rate for males was 20.1 deaths per 100,000 people, while for females it was 6.3 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.^[1] The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports similar data.^[3]

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

(ResponseAbility, 2012)^[4]

Results from the 2020–22 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing indicate that:

• One in six Australians (16.7% or 3.3 million people) aged 16–85 had experienced serious thoughts about taking their own life at some point in their lives.
• Around 1.5 million or 7.4% of Australians aged 16–85 years had made a suicide plan and around 970,000 or 4.9% had attempted suicide during their lifetime.^{[5] [6]}

Helplines

• Beyond Blue^[7]
• Lifeline Australia^[8]
• Menslink^[9]
• Suicide Prevention Australia^[10]

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.^[11]

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.^[12]

Researchers have attributed the difference between attempted and completed suicides among the sexes to males using more lethal means to end their lives.^[13]

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 needs 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, with males in middle and older having substantially increased suicide rates compared to other age ranges.

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.^{[14] [15]}

Alcohol

There is a strong correlation between alcohol (as well as other drugs) and suicide in Australian young adults. Between 30 and 50% of suicides, detectable substances are found during post-mortem coronial investigations, with alcohol being the most common.^[16]

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.^[17]

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.^[18] 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.^[19]

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 can be mistaken as an accidental death.^[20]

Mitigation efforts

In 1992, the National Health and Medical Research's Working Group was founded to examine suicide prevention in Australia.^[21]

List of notable cases

20th century

• In 1952, politician James Vinton Smith died by suicide by firearm.^[22]
• In 1953, Nellie Cameron, a notorious Sydney prostitute in the 1920s and 1930s, died by suicide.^{[23] [24]}
• In 1977, Pat Flower, an English Australian writer of plays, television plays and novels, died by suicide.^[25]
• In 1979, Christine Smith, an Australian alpine skier, died by suicide.^[26]
• In 1985, Mary Hardy, an Australian television and radio presenter, actress, writer and comedian, died by suicide.^[27]
• In 1987, Alex Carey, an Australian writer, author, social psychologist, academic and sociologist, died by suicide.^[28]
• On 3 March 1990, prominent Melbourne business man and property developer Floyd Podgornik shot himself in his inner-city apartment.^[29]
• In 1991, John Friedrich killed himself by firearm.^[30]
• In 1995, Steven Wood, an Australian sprint and marathon canoeist, died by suicide.^{[31] [32]}
• In 1999, Ric Throssell, an Australian diplomat and author whose writings included novels, plays, film and television scripts, and memoirs, died by suicide.
• In 2000, Greg Wilton a Member of the House of Representatives committed suicide.

21st century

• In May 2005, Rene Rivkin, Australian investor and entrepreneur committed suicide.^[33]
• In October 2005, Paul Hester, an Australian musician and television personality, died by suicide, hanging himself in Elsternwick Park near his home.^[34]
• In November 2005, Sandy Blythe, an Australian wheelchair basketball player, died by suicide.^[35]
• In 2007, a member of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from Claremont in Tasmania, Kristy Corbett, was involved in a suicide case in which her former partner took his life. Corbett was investigated for her culpability but no charges were ever laid against her.
• In November 2007, Charmaine Dragun, an Australian television newsreader, jumped off The Gap, an oceanside cliff.^[36]
• In 2009, Alex Harris, an Australian Paralympic swimmer, who represented Australia at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, died by suicide.^[37]
• In 2014, Charlotte Dawson, an Australian TV presenter, died by suicide by hanging.^[38]
• In 2015, Mike Gibson, an Australian sports journalist, columnist, commentator, and radio and television presenter, died by suicide.^{[39] [40]}
• In October 2016, Fergus David Edward Miller, known professionally as Bored Nothing, an Australian musician, died by suicide.^{[41] [42]}
• In November 2016, Tyrone Unsworth, a 13-year-old Australian boy, died by suicide after years of bullying motivated by his homosexuality.^[43]
• In June 2017, Alice Eather, an Aboriginal Australian slam poet, environmental campaigner and teacher from Maningrida, died by suicide.^{[44] [45]}
• In August 2017, Stephen Wooldridge, an Australian racing cyclist and an Olympic and four-time world champion on the track, died by suicide.^[46]
• In November 2017, Samantha Rebillet, a French-born Australian film director, actress, screenwriter, producer, singer and songwriter, died by suicide.^[47]
• In January 2018, Amy Jayne "Dolly" Everett, an Australian teenager who suffered from mental illness and who was a victim of cyberbullying, died by suicide.^[48]
• In April 2018, Shane Yarran, an Australian rules footballer, died by suicide.^[49]
• In November 2018, Jonathan Cantwell, an Australian professional road bicycle racer, died by suicide.^{[50] [51] [52] [53]}
• In 2020, Shane Tuck, an Australian rules footballer, died by suicide.^{[54] [55] [56]}
• In 2021, Dieter Brummer, an Australian actor, died by suicide.^[57]
• In 2022, Paul Green, an Australian professional rugby league football coach and a professional rugby league footballer, died by suicide.^[58]

See also

• Health care in Australia
• Health in Australia
• Mental health in Australia

Bibliography

• Book: Sveticic . Jerneja . Suicide research : selected readings. Australian Academic Press . 2009 . Queensland . 9781922117182 .

External links

• Australian Bureau of Statistics Suicides, Australia, 2005
• Australian Bureau of Statistics Causes of Death, Australia, 2021
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Suicide and intentional self-harm, 2022

Notes and References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics Causes of Death, Australia, 2021
2. Web site: Suicide rates, age standardized – Data by country . . 2015 . 13 April 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170414080838/http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDEASDR?lang=en . 14 April 2017 . dmy-all .
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Suicide and intentional self-harm, 2022
4. Adolescent suicide in Australia:Rates, risk and resilience. 2012.
5. Web site: 2023-11-06 . Australian prevalence estimates of suicidal behaviours . 2024-03-11 . Australian Institute of Health and Welfare . en.
6. Web site: 2023-01-12 . National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022 Australian Bureau of Statistics . 2024-03-11 . www.abs.gov.au . en.
7. Web site: Beyond Blue. beyondblue.org.au.
8. Web site: Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14 – Crisis Support and Suicide Prevention. www.lifeline.org.au.
9. Web site: Menslink. menslink.org.au.
10. Web site: Home – Suicide Prevention Australia. suicidepreventionaust.org.
11. Facts and Stats about suicide in Australia. 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150401064231/http://www.mindframe-media.info/for-media/reporting-suicide/facts-and-stats. 1 April 2015. dmy-all.
12. Book: McKenna K & Harrison JE. Australian Institute of Health & Welfare. Hospital separations due to injury and poisoning, Australia 2008-09. 2012. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Canberra. 978-1-74249-341-1. 74. Injury research and statistics series no. 65. Cat. no. INJCAT 141.. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170710144550/http://aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737422893. 10 July 2017. dmy-all.
13. Book: David Sue, Derald Wing Sue, Diane Sue, Stanley Sue. Understanding abnormal behavior. 2013. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Belmont, California. 978-1-111-83459-3. 255. Tenth ed., [student ed.].
14. Rural male suicide in Australia. Alston. Margaret. 2012. Social Science & Medicine. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.04.036. 20541304. 74. 4. 515–522.
15. Spatial clusters of suicide in Australia. Qi. Xin. 2012. BMC Psychiatry. 10.1186/1471-244X-12-86. 22824367. 3464902. 12. 86. dmy-all . free .
16. Suicide in Australia: Where do alcohol and drugs fit in?. Topp. Libby. 2011. Of Substance. 16 April 2015.
17. Adolescent suicide in Australia: Rates, risks and resilience. McNamara. Patricia. 2012. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 10.1177/1359104512455812. 23118313. 16 April 2015. 18. 3. 351–369. 30612970.
18. Burns. Richard A.. 2016-11-30. Sex and age trends in Australia's suicide rate over the last decade: Something is still seriously wrong with men in middle and late life. Psychiatry Research. 245. 224–229. 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.08.036. 1872-7123. 27552673. 4907253.
19. Duration of unemployment and suicide in Australia of the period 1985-2006: An ecological investigation by sex and age during declining national unemployment rates.. Milner, Page & LaMontagne. Alison, Andrew & Anthony. 23 October 2012. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 10.1017/S1474746406003423. 6. 2. 151. 146207424. 14 December 2019. 1 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501230854/https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3233&context=hbspapers. live.
20. Madden, Richard. Suicides, Australia: 1982-1992. 1994. 20 November 2015. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 20 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151120171424/http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/0841CFD9C4F9E1C0CA257225000494E5/$File/33090_1982-92.pdf. live.
21. Web site: 3309.0 Suicides, Australia (1921 to 1998) . Australian Bureau of Statistics . 7 April 2019 . 6 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190306005424/http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/B677BAE5E1AC97E5CA2568BD0012ECBC/$File/33090_1921%20to%201998.pdf . live .
22. News: VINTON SMITH FOUND DEAD. . . Melbourne . 23 July 1952 . 29 May 2012 . 5 . National Library of Australia . 16 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211016214252/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/23179104 . live .
23. Morton and Lobez, (Victory Books, 2010):135–136.
24. NSW BDM, Ellen Catherine Bourke, Death Reg No. 25162/1953, District of Sydney
25. Susan Lever, 'Flower, Patricia Mary Bryson (1914–1977)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/flower-patricia-mary-bryson-10207/text18039, published first in hardcopy 1996, accessed online 3 April 2015.
26. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160319b.htm Smith, Christine Idris (1946–1979)
27. McFarlane . Brian . Hardy, Mary Veronica (1931–1985) . hardy-mary-veronica-12592 . 26 November 2021 . 2007 . en.
28. Gabrielle Carey, In My Father's House, Pan Macmillan Australia, 1992.
29. News: 'TYCOON' WHAT DEMONS DROVE HIM? - the Washington Post . . 19 February 2019 . 20 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190220181440/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1990/11/16/tycoon-what-demons-drove-him/af5124e6-2f05-416c-affc-155b7ab0283e/ . live .
30. Web site: Twenty years on. 6 April 2009. www.abc.net.au. 26 December 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171225133049/http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/04/06/2535979.htm. 25 December 2017. dmy-all.
31. Book: Frith. David. Silence of the Heart – Cricket Suicides. 2001. Mainstream Publishing. Edinburgh, Scotland. 184018406X. 27.
32. Web site: Steve Wood . 22 January 2021 . Olympedia.
33. Web site: Sad end for Rene Rivkin . 2 May 2005 .
34. News: Something so wrong . Ellingsen . Peter . The Age . John Fairfax Holdings . 0312-6307 . 3 April 2005 . 28 November 2016. en.
35. News: Farewell to a champion athlete for whom life had lost its crucial blithe spirit. The Age. 25 November 2005. Andrea. Petrie. 8. 16 August 2012.
36. Web site: News reader found dead. 2 November 2007. 13 April 2015. The Australian.
37. News: EDITORIAL: Tragic end to a brave life . Geelong Advertiser . 28 October 2009 . 30 October 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091031092400/http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2009/10/28/116025_opinion.html . 31 October 2009 . dead .
38. Web site: Australian TV personality Charlotte Dawson commits suicide. 23 February 2014. 13 April 2015. fox411. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150219214902/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/02/23/australian-tv-personality-charlotte-dawson-commits-suicide/. 19 February 2015. dmy-all.
39. News: Legendary sports commentator and journalist Mike Gibson dies aged 75. 23 September 2015. Perth Now.
40. News: Gibson killed himself. 25 September 2015. The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 24 September 2015.
41. Web site: Music News. .
42. Web site: Beloved Aussie Muso Fergus Miller Bored Nothing Passed Away. 12 October 2016. 12 October 2016. MusicFeeds. Mack. Emmy.
43. Web site: "This Is Why We Need To Defend Safe Schools": LGBTI Community Responds To Gay Teen's Suicide. Sainty. Lane. 25 November 2016. BuzzFeed. 30 November 2016.
44. Web site: Vale Alice Eather: Aboriginal poet, teacher and warrior. 2020-01-13. 24 June 2017.
45. News: Petersen . Freya . Alice Eather: Anti-fracking activist's 'black dog' never left her, family says . 13 January 2020 . ABC . September 18, 2017.
46. News: Olympic cycling champion Stephen Wooldridge dies. 15 August 2017. The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 August 2017.
47. News: "I Could Hardly Breathe": Former Potbelleez Frontman Ilan Kidron on the Death of His Wife. The Latch . 9 May 2021.
48. News: Stephens . Clare . 31 January 2018 . The part of Dolly Everett's story that perhaps wasn't told. . Mamamia . 6 November 2022.
49. Web site: Dockers put horror week behind them to thump Western Bulldogs. Elborough. Brad. 21 April 2018. The Age. https://web.archive.org/web/20180421153932/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/dockers-put-horror-week-behind-them-20180421-p4zayx.html. 21 April 2018. live. 21 April 2018.
50. Web site: Australian former pro Jonathan Cantwell dies at 36. Ballinge. Alex. Cycling Weekly. 7 November 2018. 7 November 2018.
51. Web site: Cycling news - Australian champion Jonathan Cantwell dies at age of 36. Eurosport. 7 November 2018. 7 November 2018.
52. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/fundraiser-for-family-set-up-after-death-of-jonathan-cantwell Fundraiser for family set up after death of Jonathan Cantwell
53. News: Former national cycling champion dies . 7 November 2018 . NewsComAu.
54. Web site: Is Australia honest about suicide?. 0:20. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 July 2020. 4 January 2021.
55. News: Vale Shane Tuck. Richmond FC. Richmond Football Club. 20 July 2020. 20 July 2020.
56. News: 'Only way out': Father details Shane Tuck's devastating struggle. Goodwin, Sam. 22 July 2020. 22 July 2020. Yahoo.
57. News: Dieter's mum shares call to action . 8 August 2021 . news.com.au . 6 August 2021 . en.
58. Web site: Paul Green's cause of sudden death confirmed. news.com.au. 11 August 2022. 11 August 2022.