Skip to main content
Table of contents

Suicide statistics

Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australian’s aged 15–44 years.16 Around three-quarters of the people who die by suicide are male, although females attempt suicide more frequently.1,16

References

  1. Mindframe National Media Initiative. Facts and stats about suicide in Australia. Australia: Mindframe National Media Initiative, 2016.  [Accessed 1 February 2016].
  2. headspace. School support suicide postvention toolkit. Melbourne: headspace, 2012.
  3. McDowell AK, Lineberry TW, Bostwick JM. Practical suicide-risk management for the busy primary care physician. Mayo Clin Proc 2011;86(8):792–800.
  4. Gutin N, McGann V, Jordan J. The impact of suicide on professional caregivers. In: Jordan J, McIntosh J, editors. Grief after suicide: Understanding the consequences and caring for the survivors. New York: Routledge, 2011.
  5. Public Health England and the National Suicide Prevention Alliance. Help is at Hand: Support after someone may have died by suicide. England: Public Health England and the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, 2010.
  6. Aguirre RT, Slater H. Suicide postvention as suicide prevention: Improvement and expansion in the United States. Death Stud 2010;34(6):529–40.
  7. Andriessen K, Krysinska K. Essential questions on suicide bereavement and postvention. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2012;9(1):24–32.
  8. Suicide Prevention Australia. Position statement: Suicide bereavement and postvention. Leichhardt, NSW: Suicide Prevention Australia, 2009.
  9. Berkowitz L, McCauley J, Schuurman D, Jordan J. Organizational postvention after suicide death. In: Jordan J, McIntosh J, editors. Grief after suicide: Understanding the consequences and caring for the survivors. New York: Routledge, 2011.
  10. Luoma JB, Martin CE, Pearson JL. Contact with mental health and primary care providers before suicide: A review of the evidence. Am J Psychiatry 2002;159(6):909–16.
  11. Denneson LM, Williams HB, Kaplan MS, McFarland BH, Dobscha SK. Treatment of veterans with mental health symptoms in VA primary care prior to suicide. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2016;38:65–70.
  12. O'Connor M, Breen LJ. General practitioners' experiences of bereavement care and their educational support needs: A qualitative study. BMC Med Educ 2014;14:59.
  13. Krysinska K, Batterham PJ, Tye M, et al. Best strategies for reducing the suicide rate in Australia. Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 2015;50(2):386. doi:10.1177/0004867415620024.
  14. Ghesquiere AR, Patel SR, Kaplan DB, Bruce ML. Primary care providers' bereavement care practices: Recommendations for research directions. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2014;29(12):1221–29.
  15. Jordan J, McIntosh J. Is suicide bereavement different? A framework for rethinking the question. In: Jordan J, McIntosh J, editors. 
    Grief after suicide. New York: Roitledge, 2011.
  16. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes of death, Australia 2014. Catalogue No. 3303.0. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2016. [updated 10 March 2016]  [Accessed 1 February 2016].

Downloads

After suicide: A resource for GPs