The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released its 2015 Causes of Death data - which includes annual national suicide information.
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The 2015 suicide data presented in the ABS publication are ‘preliminary data’ and will be subject to a continued revision process.
In 2015, preliminary data showed 3027 total suicide deaths; 2292 males and 735 females. There were 2864 deaths in 2014.
The highest age-specific suicide rate for males was observed in the 85+ age-group with 68 deaths.
There were 1160 suicide deaths in males aged 30-54, with ages 40-54 recording an age-specific rate of 30.9 per 100,000 – compared to the overall male rate of 19.4 per 100,000.
Suicide rate for males in the 0-14 age-group, six deaths recorded and in the 15-19 age-group, 89 deaths.
The highest age-specific suicide rate for females was observed in the 45-49 age-group, 82 deaths.
The suicide rate for females in the 0-14 age-group, eight deaths.
In the 65-69, 60-64 and 75-79 age-groups (4.5, 5.4 and 5.4 per 100,000 respectively).
The 15-19 female age-group rate rose from 38 deaths in 2014 to 56 deaths in 2015.
Other findings:
Over the past 10 years, the number of suicide deaths has been approximately three times higher in the male population, than in the female. In 2015, 75.6 per cent of suicide deaths were male
Of all deaths in 2015, 1.9 per cent was attributed to suicide. The proportion of total deaths attributed to suicide, was higher in males (2.8 per cent) than females (0.9 per cent).
SANE Australia CEO Jack Heath said the number of people dying from suicide is deeply concerning whatever way you look at it
“For those 690,000 Australians living with complex mental illness the increase risk of suicide is 10-40 times higher than that for the general population,” Mr Heath said.
“While as a nation we have made real advances in reducing stigma around mild to moderate mental health conditions, there is a huge amount of work to be done to help those at the more severe end of the spectrum.
“Stigma remains a key barrier for people living with complex mental illness to seek the help they need, thereby preventing suicide.
“We are seeing examples of people waiting more than ten years before getting a diagnosis because they don’t feel comfortable or supported to openly discuss what they are experiencing.
“Alongside reducing stigma, we need to ensure people can access quality mental health services when and how they need them. We call for a renewed commitment by Governments and non-profit organisations across the country to do everything we can to reverse this tragic trend of increased rates of suicide.”
A recent international review has shown for people living with schizophrenia, the risk of suicide is 13 times greater than the general population. Those living with bipolar disorder are 17 times more at risk, major depressive disorder 20 times, anorexia 31 times and for Australians with borderline personality disorder, the risk of suicide is 45 times higher.
If you are in crises, key national 24/7 support services include:
· Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au
· Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
· MensLine Australia 1300 789 978 www.mensline.org.au
· beyondlblue 1300 224 636 www.beyondblue.org.au
Key national youth support services include:
· Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 www.kidshelp.com.au
· headspace 1800 650 890 www.headspace.org.au