If you are feeling down, suicidal, or would like to talk to someone about how you have been feeling, please please please call Lifeline on 13 11 44, or chat to someone online at lifeline.org.au. It can get better, we promise.
It is with a heavy heart that we write this article: currently, Australian suicide statistics are at the highest they have been in 13 years.
It is with a heavy heart that we write this article: currently, Australian suicide statistics are at the highest they have been in 13 years.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics stats released today, the suicide rate has jumped from 12 per 100,000 in 2014 – the highest it’s been since it hit 12.6 per 100,000 in 2001.
Over the same timeline, the rate of suicide in women aged 15-24 jumped by an enormous 50%. While there was only a 2% increase for men, men make up three quarters of the 362 suicides in the age group in 2014. Which is devastating beyond comprehension.
Director and chief scientist of Black Dog Institute, Helen Christensen, seems to believe it’s because young women are engaging in ‘risk-taking behaviour’:
“Young girls are becoming more assertive and less risk-averse. They’re drinking earlier, smoking earlier … all those associated behaviours might lead to more impulsivity, which might lead to more risk-taking, more injury, more suicide risk.Men worry about money, supporting their families, being the breadwinner. Women worry about interpersonal problems, for example, family conflicts.”
While this seems like stereotypical boomer-speak for ‘this generation is irresponsible, unlike ours!’ (hint: they actually were), Christensen’s title hopefully implies impartiality – so we’ve included her opinion in order to be thorough. However, Lifeline chief executive Pete Schmigel said that the factors behind female suicide were not well understood.
Schmigel also said that Lifeline fielded a record high statistic of 1 million calls last year, and majority of those (60%) were from women. They also made up 80% of chat service users:
“[The numbers say] that people are getting to us too late.We made it OK to start talking about mental health, but we’re still not giving people enough skills to become capable of preventing suicide.”
So, understandably, Lifeline has called on the government to double the funding in order to prevent suicide, because Schimgel has previously said that our youth rates indicate ‘a national emergency’.
And he’s right. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 44 – and the rates are seemingly increasing.
Plus, suicide rates for men are nearly twice the rate of women, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are almost twice as likely to die by suicide.
If you are feeling down or suicidal, or would like to talk to someone about how you have been feeling, please please please call Lifeline on 13 11 44, or chat to someone online at lifeline.org.au. It can get better, we promise.
Source: ABS / SMH.
Photo: AustralianDoctors.
