Year: 2007 Source: Thesis (M.D.)-University of Adelaide, (April 2007). 216p. SIEC No: 20090068

This thesis describes an approach to rural suicide which, while cognizant of the broad range of risk factors, was more directed to tackling poor mental health on a community basis, using local resources. It used four main approaches: educating the community to enhance mental health literacy by appreciating the causes of poor mental health; building the social capital or community capacity of existing resources; emphasizing early identification of & intervention in problems, & the establishment of a community child & adolescent program based in the local school but with close liaison with the local medical practitioners. The most important results were a statistically significant reduction of suicides from twelve in ten years to one in the following decade as well as a statistically significant reduction in the number of suicide attempts.