Suicide in Australia: Do We Really Have A Problem?

Suicidal ideation and bullying among Australian secondary school students

Bully-victim problems at school may have negative effects on students' mental health. Adolescents (N = 845) attending schools in South Australia anonymously answered questionnaires that included a measure of suicidal ideation. Student involvement in bully-victim problems at school and the emotional reaction to being viaimised by peers were also examined. Self-report but not peer nomination indicated that high levels of peer victimisation and relatively ineffective coping responses were independently and significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Implications for school policies and practices to address the issue of youth suicide are discussed.

Rural-urban differences in reasons for living

OBJECTIVE

The suicide rate in Australia is cause for concern, especially the increase in attempted and completed suicides in rural and regional locations. The present study examined reasons for choosing not to commit suicide as a function of residential location.

METHOD

The study involved 655 Victorian residents from four population-based strata; urban, regional city, regional town, and rural.

RESULTS

Results from the Reasons for Living Inventory revealed significant differences as a function of residential location. Overall, residents in rural locations reported having significantly more to live for than their urban counterparts. Further analysis of six reasons for living (child, family, moral, social, coping and death-related concerns) showed a pattern whereby residents in rural locations reported having the most to live for, followed by regional residents, and urban residents who reported having the least to live for.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are in contrast to increase of suicide rates in rural areas, and highlight the need for a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying suicidal behaviour.

Cohort trends in youth suicide in Australia 1964-1997

OBJECTIVE

This paper examines trends in the rate of suicide among young Australians aged 15-24 years from 1964 to 1997 and presents an age-period-cohort analysis of these trends.

METHOD

Study design consisted of an age-period-cohort analysis of suicide mortality in Australian youth aged between 15 and 24 for the years 1964-1997 inclusive. Data sources were Australian Bureau of Statistics data on: numbers of deaths due to suicide by gender and age at death; and population at risk in each of eight birth cohorts (1940-1944, 1945-1949, 1950-1954, 1955-1959, 1960-1964, 1965-1969, 1970-1974, and 1975-1979). Main outcome measures were population rates of deaths among males and females in each birth cohort attributed to suicide in each year 1964-1997.

RESULTS

The rate of suicide deaths among Australian males aged 15-24 years increased from 8.7 per 100,000 in 1964 to 30.9 per 100,000 in 1997, with the rate among females changing little over the period, from 5.2 per 100,000 in 1964 to 7.1 per 100,000 in 1997. While the rate of deaths attributed to suicide increased over the birth cohorts, analyses revealed that these increases were largely due to period effects, with suicide twice as likely among those aged 15-24 years in 1985-1997 than between 1964 and 1969.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of youth suicide in Australia has increased since 1964, particularly among males. This increase can largely be attributed to period effects rather than to a cohort effect and has been paralleled by an increased rate of youth suicides internationally and by an increase in other psychosocial problems including psychiatric illness, criminal offending and substance use disorders.

Suicides in an Australian Inpatient Environment

Associated stressful life events both within and outside the hospital environment may contribute to the high-risk environment. The cohort studied here was hospitalized for a significant psychiatric problem, a factor which puts them in the high-risk category. When the severe psychiatric diagnosis is combined with a significant stressful life event, the risk of suicide is increased significantly.

Deliberate exposure to motor vehicle exhaust gas: the psychosocial profile of attempted suicide

OBJECTIVE

Deliberate exposure to motor vehicle exhaust gas has become the second most commonly used method of suicide in Australia. In an attempt to understand the factors contributing to the rise in popularity of this method, the psychosocial profiles, factors influencing method choice and circumstances of the act of self-harm were examined in a group of survivors.

METHOD

A cross-sectional cohort study of 30 patients presenting for hyperbaric oxygen treatment having survived deliberate exposure to car exhaust gas was undertaken. A structured clinical interview was administered together with scales measuring depression, hopelessness and suicidal intent. Daily assessment of mental state and cognitive function was performed.

RESULTS

Factors common to the majority of subjects included male gender, age group of 20-50 years, and alcohol abuse. Relationship discord was the most common precipitating factor. Reasons given for choice of this method included the availability and accessibility of motor vehicles, painlessness, awareness that the method was lethal, knowledge of another person's successful suicide by this method and awareness of the method through media portrayal. Most of the cars used did not have engines fitted with catalytic converters, substantially increasing the risk of toxicity. Regret of the attempt, denial of further suicidal ideation after the event, and the absence of a suicide note were common findings. Most denied excessive time spent planning. The most common diagnosis in this group was adjustment disorder with depressed mood. Suicide intent scores were not high, inconsistent with the majority of patients being aware of the lethality of the method.

CONCLUSION

Sociodemographic findings resemble those of psychological autopsy studies of subjects completing suicide by this method. Survival in this group was due to failure of the method or unexpected discovery rather than patient factors. This population described the method as highly acceptable and accessible emphasising the urgent need for reduction of access to this means of suicide in Australia.

Social and cultural patterns of suicide in young people in rural Australia

The purpose of this paper is to describe patterns of suicide in young people in rural communities. Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention and Australian Bureau of Statistics data are used to discuss regional and gender differences in suicide rates, with particular attention to completed suicides in young people. The regional distribution completed suicide in young people and gender differences in suicide rates are identified. Trends in the methods of suicide chosen by young people are also described. Patterns of male self-destructive behaviour are emphasised. The paper, as a whole, draws attention to the complex factors that influence deaths by suicide in young people. The factors implicated are associated mainly with suicide in young males, but much of the literature speculates on rather than demonstrates their influence. As the competing explanations have not been systematically evaluated, further research is required to establish the causal processes involved and to provide a firmer foundation for suicide prevention programs and services for those who live in suicide's aftermath.

Cybersuicide: the role of interactive suicide notes on the Internet

As we approach the new millennium a new dimension in interactive communications has arrived. The internet is one such medium, and while it remains a relatively new form of information sharing, it has not escaped the attention of vulnerable young people. This paper discusses the internet resources on suicide and the issue of interactive suicide notes. Case examples of interactive notes followed by suicide fatalities are used to illustrate the potential influence of the internet on those who wish to share their suicidal ideation with others. Issues to do with modeling, ambivalence, group death wishes, research, and ethics are discussed. Finally, some recommendations are made for further studies.