Suicide in Australia

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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]

Contents

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. [4] The suicide rates for children younger than 15 years is estimated to have increased by 92% between the 1960s to 1990s. [5] Suicide rates are generally higher amongst males, rural and regional dwellers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. [6] 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." [7] [8]

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) [9]

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

Helplines

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. [16]

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. [17]

Researchers have attributed the difference between attempted and completed suicides among the sexes to males using more lethal means to end their lives. [18]

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. [19] 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. [20]

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. [21] [22]

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. [23]

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. [24]

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. [20] 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. [20]

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. [25]

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. [26] : 1 

Mitigation efforts

In 1992, the National Health and Medical Research's Working Group was founded to examine suicide prevention in Australia. [27]

List of notable cases

20th century

21st century

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Australia</span>

The population of Australia is estimated to be 27,408,100 as of 16 September 2024. It is the 54th most populous country in the world and the most populous Oceanian country. Its population is concentrated mainly in urban areas, particularly on the Eastern, South Eastern and Southern seaboards, and is expected to exceed 30 million by 2029.

According to a 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14, and the third leading cause of death for those between 15 and 25

There are more than 700,000 estimated suicide deaths every year. Suicide affects every demographic, yet there are some populations that are more impacted than others. For example, among 15–29 year olds, suicide is much more prominent; this being the fourth leading cause of death within this age group.

Australia is a high income country, and this is reflected in the good status of health of the population overall. In 2011, Australia ranked 2nd on the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index, indicating the level of development of a country. Despite the overall good status of health, the disparities occurring in the Australian healthcare system are a problem. The poor and those living in remote areas as well as indigenous people are, in general, less healthy than others in the population, and programs have been implemented to decrease this gap. These include increased outreach to the indigenous communities and government subsidies to provide services for people in remote or rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Finland</span> Overview of health in Finland

The major causes of deaths in Finland are cardiovascular diseases, malignant tumors, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, respiratory diseases, alcohol related diseases and accidental poisoning by alcohol. In 2010, the leading causes of death among men aged 15 to 64 were alcohol related deaths, ischaemic heart disease, accident, suicides, lung cancer and cerebrovascular diseases. Among women the leading causes were breast cancer, alcohol related deaths, accidents, suicides, ischemic heart disease and lung cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender differences in suicide</span>

Gender differences in suicide rates have been shown to be significant. There are different rates of suicides and suicidal behavior between males and females. While females more often have suicidal thoughts, males die by suicide more frequently. This discrepancy is also known as the gender paradox in suicide.

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an awareness day always observed on 10 September every year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world since 2003. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) to host World Suicide Prevention Day. In 2011 an estimated 40 countries held awareness events to mark the occasion. According to WHO's Mental Health Atlas released in 2014, no low-income country reported having a national suicide prevention strategy, while less than 10% of lower-middle income countries, and almost a third of upper-middle and high-income countries had.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in the United States</span> Statistics and causes of suicide in the U.S.

Suicide is a major national public health issue in the United States. The country has one of the highest suicide rates among wealthy nations. In 2020, there were 45,799 recorded suicides, up from 42,773 in 2014, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). On average, adjusted for age, the annual U.S. suicide rate increased 30% between 2000 and 2020, from 10.4 to 13.5 suicides per 100,000 people. In 2018, 14.2 people per 100,000 died by suicide, the highest rate recorded in more than 30 years. Due to the stigma surrounding suicide, it is suspected that suicide is generally underreported. In April 2016, the CDC released data showing that the suicide rate in the United States had hit a 30-year high. In June 2018, new data showed an increase in every U.S. state except Nevada since 1999. From 2000 to 2020, more than 800,000 people died by suicide in the United States. Males represented 78.7% of all suicides between 2000 and 2020. In 2022, a record high 49,500 people died by suicide. The 2022 rate was the highest level since 1941, at 14.3 per 100,000 persons. This rate was surpassed in 2023, when it increased to over 14.7 per 100,000 persons. Surging death rates from suicide, drug overdoses and alcoholism, what researchers refer to as "deaths of despair," are largely responsible for a consecutive three year decline of life expectancy in the U.S. This constitutes the first three-year drop in life expectancy in the U.S. since the years 1915–1918.

China's suicide rates were one of the highest in the world in the 1990s. However, by 2011, China had one of the lowest suicide rates in the world. According to the World Health Organization, the suicide rate in China was 9.7 per 100,000 population as of 2016; Among men, the rate was 9.1 per 100,000 population. As a comparison, the suicide rate in the U.S. in 2016 was 15.3. Generally speaking, China seems to have a lower suicide rate than neighboring Korea, Russia and Japan, and it is more common among women than men and more common in the Yangtze Basin than elsewhere.

Suicide is a major national public health issue in the India. 1.71 lakh suicides were recorded in 2022, registering a 4.2% increase over 2021 and a jump of 27% compared to 2018. The rate of suicide per one lakh population has increased to 12.4 in 2022 which is the highest year for this data. Suicides during 2022 increased by 27% in comparison to 2018 with India reporting highest number of suicides in the world. India's contribution to global suicide deaths increased from 25.3% in 1990 to 36.6% in 2016 among women, and from 18.7% to 24.3% among men. In 2016, suicide was the most common cause of death in both the age groups of 15–29 years and 15–39 years. Daily wage earners accounted for 26% of suicide victims, the largest group in the suicide data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punishment in Australia</span>

Punishment in Australia arises when an individual has been accused or convicted of breaking the law through the Australian criminal justice system. Australia uses prisons, as well as community corrections. When awaiting trial, prisoners may be kept in specialised remand centres or within other prisons.

Suicide in Pakistan is a major public health issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in Canada</span>

According to the latest available data, Statistics Canada estimates 4,157 suicides took place in Canada in 2017, making it the 9th leading cause of death, between Alzheimer's disease (8th) and cirrhosis and other liver diseases (10th). In 2009, there were an estimated 3,890 suicide deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in the United Kingdom</span> Statistics and causes of suicide in the UK

Suicide is a significant national social issue in the United Kingdom. In 2022 there were 5,642 registered deaths by suicide in England and Wales, equating to an average of 15 suicides per day. 74.1% of suicides in England and Wales in 2022 were males. In Scotland there were 762 probable suicides in 2022, equating to an average of 2 suicides per day. In Northern Ireland there were 203 suicide deaths registered in 2022. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide in Sweden</span>

Sweden has a suicide rate which was below the OECD average. During the 1960s, Sweden had one of the highest reported suicide rates among the most developed countries, but it declined as methods for measuring were standardized internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous health in Australia</span> Medical condition

Indigenous health in Australia examines health and wellbeing indicators of Indigenous Australians compared with the rest of the population. Statistics indicate that Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders are much less healthy than other Australians. Various government strategies have been put into place to try to remediate the problem; there has been some improvement in several areas, but statistics between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the Australian population still show unacceptable levels of difference.

Males make up just under half of the total Australian population of 23 million. On average Australian males live to around 78 years of age, with the life expectancy of an Indigenous Australian male in 2009 being around 67 years of age and non indigenous men in remote areas living to around 70. On average female mortality rates are lower than males across the entire age spectrum.

Suicide in Ireland has the 17th highest rate in Europe and the 4th highest for the males aged 15–25 years old which was a main contributing factor to the improvement of suicides in Ireland.

Mental health in Australia has been through a significant shift in the last 50 years, with 20% of Australians experiencing one or more mental health episodes in their lifetimes. Australia runs on a mixed health care system, with both public and private health care. The public system includes a government run insurance scheme called Medicare, which aids mental health schemes. Each state within Australia has its own management plans for mental health treatment. However, the overarching system and spending remains the same.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics Causes of Death, Australia, 2021
  2. ↑ "Suicide rates, age standardized – Data by country". World Health Organization. 2015. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Suicide and intentional self-harm, 2022
  4. ↑ Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, 2011, archived from the original on 10 March 2012
  5. ↑ Trends and predictors of suicide in Australian children, Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, 2011, archived from the original on 19 February 2012
  6. ↑ Facts and Statistics, Mindframe National Media Initiative, 2012, archived from the original on 18 February 2013
  7. ↑ "Nation shamed when child sees suicide as solution", The Australian, 7 November 2014
  8. ↑ Indigenous suicide rates are a humanitarian crisis, NT News/AAP, 15 July 2015, archived from the original on 9 October 2015
  9. ↑ "Adolescent suicide in Australia:Rates, risk and resilience". 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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  11. ↑ "National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022 | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
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  14. ↑ "Menslink". menslink.org.au.
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  16. ↑ "Facts and Stats about suicide in Australia". 2014. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ↑ McKenna K & Harrison JE, Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (2012). Hospital separations due to injury and poisoning, Australia 2008-09 (Injury research and statistics series no. 65. Cat. no. INJCAT 141. ed.). Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. p. 74. ISBN   978-1-74249-341-1. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017.
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  20. 1 2 3 Burns, Richard A. (30 November 2016). "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. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.08.036. ISSN   1872-7123. PMID   27552673. S2CID   4907253.
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