Suicide In Australia Essay

Suicide defined as “Death caused by self-directed injurious behaviour with any intent to die as a result of the behaviour” (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control [CDC], 2015, p. 23), remains a complex, traumatic and prevalent, global health concern. In the year 2020, the World Health Organization (2008), has estimated that one person will die by suicide every 20 seconds, resulting in a loss of 1.53 million lives. Of the 2,522 lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2013, three quarters were males; while the Indigenous adult suicide rate for the same period, was twice as high as their non-Indigenous peers (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Suicide rates for children and youth in Queensland during 2012-2013, were the highest (n=22) since recording began in 2004 (Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian [CCYPCG], …show more content…
Identified risks in these regions include social isolation, lack of services, economic stressors, high Indigenous populations (AIHW, 2006; Hirsch, 2006), problematic use of alcohol and drugs, and increased access to firearms (Klieve, Sveticic & De Leo, 2009; Miller, Coomber, Staiger, Zinkiewicz & Toumbourou, 2010). North and Far North Queensland have registered some of the highest rates of suicide, in comparison to state and national statistics in recent times (De Leo, Sveticic & Kumpula, 2013), and research suggests that suicide rates in rural and remote areas of Australia are increasing (Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing [AIHW], 2006). While the total economic cost of suicide in Queensland in 2012 was $382 million dollars, and around $1.7 billion dollars for Australia (PKPMG Health Economics, 2013), the emotional, physical and psychological impact on families, significant others, peers and mental health professionals is also