Page 4092 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2019
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This brings me to updating the Assembly on the most recent information about suicide in the ACT. In 2018 in the ACT there were 47 deaths by suicide, compared to 58 deaths recorded in 2017. In 2018 this was equivalent to an age-standardised rate of 11 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in the ACT, which was lower than the national average of 12.1 suicide deaths per 100,000.
Despite this improvement in 2018 from the year before, it is important that we also look at the five-year, age-standardised rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 people to gain a real sense of the trend. This tells us that the figures have largely remained constant, with 10.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 in the 2013-17 period in the ACT compared to 10.7 in the 2014-18 period. Similar figures were also seen across all states and territories, and in the national average.
This again points to the importance of sustained efforts to improve the range of suicide prevention activities and early intervention services in the ACT and across Australia. In light of this and of the fact that it is Mental Health Month, I will take this opportunity to update the Assembly on how the ACT government is continuing to support suicide prevention and early intervention in the ACT. However, before I do, in the spirit of Mental Health Month, which encourages and supports increasing awareness and having frank conversations about mental health and wellbeing, I would like to speak to three of the common myths about suicide.
The first of these myths is the idea that talking about suicide publicly or asking someone if they are having thoughts of suicide can increase the rates of suicide or suicidality. This is a common myth, but it is one that has been proven incorrect in a number of studies, including one in 2014 by the school of medicine at King’s College London, which found no statistically significant increase in suicidal ideation among adult participants when asked about suicidal thoughts. Rather, talking openly about suicide raises people’s awareness of the available services and encourages them to seek help, thereby potentially helping to prevent suicide.
The second myth is the notion that only people with mental health issues or mental illness are suicidal. This myth itself can be stigmatising, because many people living with mental illness will not be affected by suicidal behaviours and not all people who take their own lives have a mental illness. The reasons as to why people take their own lives are complex and often there is no single reason why a person will attempt suicide.
Recent research by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that while many people who die by suicide experience mental illness, other health and psychosocial risk factors are also important. A wide range of social and economic factors are recognised as risk factors for suicide, including a past history of self-harm, alcohol and other drug problems, relationship issues, legal issues, unemployment, homelessness, disability, bullying, bereavement and impacts of chronic health conditions. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, suicide rates are approximately twice those of non-Indigenous Australians.
The third and final myth I will discuss today is the belief that once someone is suicidal they will always be suicidal. Heightened suicide risk is often short term and
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