Suicide - Global Issue

According to the World Health Organization, suicide is a serious public health problem and is recognized as a public health priority.

Every year there are more than 700,000 people who die due to suicide and many more who attempted suicide (World Health Organization (WHO), 2021).

Intentional self-harm (Suicide) is a sensitive topic to bring up. WHO mentioned that the stigma and taboo surrounding mental disorders and suicide is one of the major challenges in suicide prevention.

Due to the lack of awareness of suicide as a major public health problem to openly discuss about, many people are not seeking help or getting the help they need (WHO, 2021).

In this study, we will focus on the suicide rates in Australia and the aim is to raise community awareness and to further break down the taboo. Hopefully, this will encourage us to be aware of potential warning signs of depression and suicide ideation from people around us.

Suicide in Australia

Throughout the study, we will compare the suicide rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Mainly, we will draw our attention to the suicide rates of Indigenous people.

I will be referring to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population as Indigenous people.

The data sets used for this study were downloaded from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

According to the ABS (2021), the methods surrounding the reporting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths and data published are as follows:

• Data reported are compiled by jurisdiction of usual residence for New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory only.

• These jurisdictions have been found to have a higher quality of identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin allowing more robust analysis of data.

• Data for those with a usual residence in Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory is unsuitable for comparisons of changes over time, and have been excluded.

• Data presented may underestimate the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who died.

Suicide - One of the Leading Causes of Death

According to WHO’s latest report, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide (WHO, 2021).

This is not an exception in Australia. We can see that intentional self-harm (suicide) sit within the top 10 leading causes of death.

Besides suicide and land transport accidents, the other causes of death were mainly diseases.

Suicide was the 8th leading cause of death for Indigenous people and the 7th leading cause of death for non-Indigenous people.

If we compare the suicide rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in 2020, the suicide rate of Indigenous people (27.9 deaths per 100,000 population) were more than twice as high compared to non-Indigenous people (11.8).

Suicide Rates by Gender

The line graph below shows the suicide rates of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people separated by Gender across the years from 2011 to 2020.

What really stood out was that there had been a continuous increase in suicide rates for Indigenous males from 2016 to 2020.

For both groups, males had a higher suicide rate than females.

The suicide rates among the Indigenous group for both males and females were higher than the non-Indigenous group.

In 2020, the suicide rates in Indigenous males (42.9) were more than twice the suicide rates in non-Indigenous males (18.6); similarly, the suicide rates in Indigenous females (13.4) were more than two times higher than the suicide rates in non-Indigenous females (5.8).

Suicide Rates across States

In 2020, the suicide rates for Indigenous people were higher across all the states (NSW, QLD, SA, WA and NT).

Western Australia had the highest suicide rate among Indigenous people, followed by New Territory and Queensland.

For non-Indigenous people, the suicide rates did not seem to have a big variation across the states. Queensland had the highest suicide rate compared to the other states.

Indigenous People - Suicide Rates by Age from 2016 to 2020

Drawing our attention to the Indigenous population, noticeably from 2016 to 2020, the suicide rates were very high in Indigenous males, specifically those aged 35-44, followed by 25-34 and 15-24.

Indigenous females on the other hand had the highest suicide rate for age group 15-24, followed by 25-34 and 35-44.

In general, the suicide rates were very high for young Indigenous people.

Possible Causes of High Suicide Rates in Indigenous People

According to a research study by Dudgeon, Calma & Holland (2017) and Life in Mind (2021a), possible causes of high suicide rates in the Indigenous population are not limited to:

• Aftermath of intergenerational trauma and risk factors in the Indigenous population.
• Disadvantage and discrimination which affects the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous individuals.
• Low access to culturally appropriate mental health and suicide prevention services and programs / an ‘access’ gap to mental health services.
• Bereavement, criminal history and pending legal matters, high unemployment / inability to get a job - Young Indigenous males were significantly at risk for these 3 factors.
• Trauma among Indigenous people associated with high alcohol and drug misuse.
• Exposure to traumatic incidents and childhood abuse.
• Exposure to suicide within a cluster, such as exposure to suicide threats, attempts and suicide within their family and close associates.
• Pervasive racism and discrimination.
• Poor overall health, high poverty rates, homelessness, low socioeconomic status, domestic violence and abuse.
• Loss of cultural identity and social isolation which causes them to lose their sense of purpose and meaning in life.

How can we play a part in Suicide Prevention?

Although most of the approaches to Indigenous suicide prevention in place are on a national, organizational or community level such as:

• Improving community-level cultural renewal, healing activities and providing cultural education.

• The help of Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (CBPATSISP)’s in identifying, translating and promoting the adaption of best practice in Indigenous-specific suicide prevention activities (Life in Mind, 2021b).

• The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for non-Indigenous people and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention strategy specifically for Indigenous people.

• The National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan to support mental health of Australians who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Other initiatives and programs such as Beyond Blue, Suicide Call Back Service, Life in Mind and so on - A list of help can be found HERE.
  
  

Living Is For Everyone (2007) which is supported by the Department of Health and Ageing suggests that every Australian can play a part in Indigenous suicide prevention on a personal level by:

• Acknowledging diversity of Indigenous people in our communities.

• Understanding and respecting the cultural differences in how Indigenous people view mental health and suicidal behaviours.

• Being aware of differences in language and communication style such as using Indigenous terms of wellbeing - Use non-confronting behaviours and language, be mindful of non-verbal expressions of discomfort.

• Promoting inclusiveness - Involve and acknowledge the skills and strengths of Indigenous people in our communities.

• Understanding the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous people - This includes recognizing the importance of their connection to land, culture, spirituality and ancestry. These were commonly identified as important health protecting factors which have influence on the health of the Indigenous population (Life in Mind, 2021c).

Conclusion

Suicide is a major health concern and a public health priority in Australia.

I believe many of us were unaware of the significant differences in suicide rates and age groups at risk of suicide between the Indigenous and non-indigenous populations in Australia.

We have explored that the suicide rates are significantly elevated among the Indigenous population compared to the non-Indigenous population, especially within young Indigenous males.

Note that although we have mostly focused on suicide prevention within the Indigenous population for the purpose of this study, it does not mean that the suicide rates of the non-Indigenous population are not important to look into.

We can make an effort to play a part in reducing suicide deaths and suicidal behaviours not only among the Indigenous population, but among the people in our communities who are vulnerable to self-harm - It could be anyone around us!

All warning signs of suicide should be taken seriously and require immediate attention.

Let us draw on the final important message here that having depression/mental health issues/suicidal thoughts is not something to be ashamed of.

Bear in mind that if at any point you feel worried about harming yourself or you think that someone else may be in danger/are struggling with thoughts of suicide-related behaviour, you are not alone.

HELP is always available.

Reference List

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Causes of Death, Australia. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/latest-release

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2021). Suicide & self-harm monitoring: Crisis support. https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/research-information/crisis-support

Department of Health. (2021). What we’re doing about suicide prevention. https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/mental-health-and-suicide-prevention/what-were-doing-about-suicide-prevention

Dudgeon, P., Calma, T., Holland, C. (2017). The context and causes of the suicide of Indigenous people in Australia. Journal of Indigenous Wellbeing, 2(2), 5-15. https://journalindigenouswellbeing.com/media/2018/07/82.65.The-context-and-causes-of-the-suicide-of-Indigenous-people-in-Australia.pdf

Life in Mind. (2021a). The complex factors that heighten the risk of suicide. https://lifeinmind.org.au/about-suicide/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-communities/risk-of-suicide-in-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples

Life in Mind. (2021b). Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention. https://lifeinmind.org.au/organisations/centre-of-best-practice-in-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-suicide-prevention

Life in Mind. (2021c). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. https://lifeinmind.org.au/about-suicide/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-communities

Living Is For Everyone (LIFE). (2007). Fact sheet 16: Suicide prevention in Indigenous communities. https://earlytraumagrief.anu.edu.au/files/Suicide-prevention-in-Indigenous-communities.pdf

World Health Organization. (2021). Suicide. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide