Resource Tag: AUSTRALIA

Background: The rate of suicide among men aged 85 years or older is the highest of any age or gender group in many countries, but little is known about their pathways to suicide. Aims: This study aimed to determine the context of suicide by men aged 85 years or older. Method: Data were extracted from the Victorian Suicide Register regarding […]

Background: Australia’s first short message service (SMS) crisis support service was launched by Lifeline Australia in July 2018. The pilot program was independently evaluated over a 240-day period. Aims: We aimed to examine the experiences of key staff employed in the Lifeline Text pilot and identify the skills and types of support required to deliver a high-quality SMS-based […]

Background: Alcohol use disorder is associated with increased suicide risk; however, both alcohol use disorder and suicide share risk factors which must be accounted for in order to understand this relationship. This study aimed to explore the longitudinal relationship between alcohol use disorder and suicidal ideation in adulthood, while accounting for both child background and […]

Objective To assess the demographic, social, and clinical characteristics of young Australians who die by suicide. Design Retrospective analysis of National Coronial Information System (NCIS) data. Setting, participants People aged 10–24 years who died by suicide in Australia during 2006–2015. Main outcome measures Demographic, social, and clinical characteristics of young people who died by suicide; […]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Queensland die by suicide at more than four times the rate of their non-Indigenous peers. As the evidence of successful suicide prevention is limited, understanding effective mechanisms is crucial. The United Health Education and Learning Program (UHELP) pilot program evaluation found a significant decrease in Aboriginal and […]

We designed the State of the Nation in Suicide Prevention survey to gather in-depth intelligence from our membership and the broader suicide prevention sector. As the Australian national peak body, it informs our role as a clear, collective voice for the sector and supports us to work towards our ambition of a world without suicide. […]

Lean on Me demonstrates that the responsibility for providing suicide prevention in LGBTQ communities in Melbourne, Australia, frequently falls on peers with little or no training in responding to a mental health crisis. This report explores how LGBTQ individuals experiencing mental health concerns turn to their peers. Those being leant on provide crucial support. In some […]

Background Suicide rates are higher in rural Australia than in major cities, although the factors contributing to this are not well understood. This study highlights trends in suicide and examines the prevalence of mental health problems and service utilisation of non-Indigenous Australians by geographic remoteness in rural Australia. Methods A retrospective study of National Coronial […]

Suicide is an increasing global concern with multiple risk factors, yet location-based understanding is limited. In Australia, surf lifesavers (SLS) and lifeguards patrol the coast, performing rescues and assisting injured people, including people who suicide. This study is a descriptive epidemiological analysis of Australian coastal suicide deaths. The results will be used to inform training […]

The National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan sets out the Australian Government’s commitment to supporting mental health and suicide prevention for all Australians, and responds to the findings of the Productivity Commission Inquiry Report into Mental Health and the National Suicide Prevention Adviser’s Final Advice.

Background: The acute effects of alcohol consumption are a major risk factor for suicide. Positive blood alcohol concentrations are present in almost one-third of all suicides at time of death. These suicides are defined as alcohol-related suicides. This cross-sectional study examines the geospatial distribution/clustering of high proportions of alcohol-related suicides and reports on socioeconomic and […]

Indigenous suicide is a significant population health challenge for Australia. Suicide has emerged in the past half century as a major cause of Indigenous premature mortality and is a contributor to the overall Indigenous health and life expectancy gap. In 2014, it was the fifth leading cause of death among Indigenous people, and the age-standardised […]

This article contends that the prevention of suicide, particularly in Australia, needs to be re-imagined, by expanding a medical/crisis response to take into account social factors that contribute to the incidence of suicide and suicidal ideation. The particular area of unemployment/underemployment provides one such example of the social determinants of suicide, and argues that the […]

Deaths by suicide for farming men and women have a huge impact on the family and rural and agricultural communities in which they occur. The disproportionately high rate of farmer suicide has not declined in Australia even though as a community we have known about this problem for many years (Guiney, 2012; Judd et al., […]

Objective: To assess the demographic, social, and clinical characteristics of young Australians who die by suicide. Design: Retrospective analysis of National Coronial Information System (NCIS) data. Setting, participants: People aged 10–24 years who died by suicide in Australia during 2006–2015. Main outcome measures: Demographic, social, and clinical characteristics of young people who died by suicide; circumstances of death recorded […]

A number of studies have demonstrated elevated risk of suicide in certain occupational groups. We seek to understand a possible new risk factor: suicide contagion, as demonstrated through a suicide cluster analysis. National-level coronial data and census population data were used for the study. We calculated suicide rates to identify “risky” occupations. SaTScan v9.4.1 was […]

Objectives Patients who survive a suicide attempt present an increased risk of relapse during the three months after discharge from a hospital, referred to herein as the post-discharge period. Developing and assessing the efficacy and safety of methods that reduce the risk of relapse in the post-discharge period is critical for professionals in the field […]

This white paper is a call to action to extend the tremendous work that has been accomplished to date. We have chosen to focus on four priority areas across all ages in suicide prevention based on emerging priorities and opportunities: new models of care, social determinants of health, suicide awareness campaigns as well as scientific […]

Self-harm and mental health are inter-related issues that substantially contribute to the global burden of disease. However, measurement of these issues at the population level is problematic. Statistics on suicide can be captured in national cause of death data collected as part of the coroner’s review process, however, there is a significant time-lag in the […]

This article reviews the current approach to suicide prevention in Australia, which is focused on medical model and argues the need for shifting the approach to social model. The new situational approach should focus on social determinants and consider the risk factors such as aboriginality, unemployment, financial distress and relationship breakdown alongside<span “=””> metal illness. […]

Aims. There is currently no gold-standard definition or method for identifying suicide clusters, resulting in considerable heterogeneity in the types of suicide clusters that are detected. This study sought to identify the characteristics, mechanisms and parameters of suicide clusters using three cluster detection methods. Specifically, the study aimed to: (1) determine the overlap in suicide […]

Background: Debunking suicide myths, such as ‘asking someone about suicide could make them start thinking about it’ is a common strategy in suicide prevention education. However, there has been little research investigating the relationship between suicide myths and helping behavior toward people at risk of suicide. We aimed to identify sociodemographic characteristics associated with belief […]

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in Australian adolescent males and rates are gradually increasing. Prompt attention to this issue is needed to stem the rising rates and prevent young boys from taking their lives. School based programs are an obvious place for prevention to occur as they have the capacity to […]