Hidden Toll

Indigenous Suicide Vulnerabilities Model

Young Australians are more likely to complete suicide than die from an illness or accident, the Health Department (DoHA) has told the Senate inquiry, The Hidden Toll – Suicide in Australia 2010.

Indigenous people are three times more likely than other Australians to complete suicide, Indigenous males are most at risk, and residents of remote or regional areas are twice as likely to complete suicide, as big-city residents. Increasing rates of Indigenous suicide are often hidden within statistics of overall suicide rates of jurisdictions which appear stable. This is because non-Indigenous suicide rates, particularly non-Indigenous youth suicide are falling, which contributes to the anomaly.

Child and youth suicide is becoming more prevalent in Indigenous settings and efforts need to be made to respond quickly to this tragedy. Contagion and impulsivity are key factors in suicide among children and adolescents, with most taking their own lives after the suicide or attempted suicide of a friend, relative or a community member. Dense social networks and complex interpersonal relationships often fuel suicide contagion as the reach of news of suicide spreads widely and quickly.

Information about support services needs to be provided quickly to those affected by the death or suicide of a loved one, to reduce the vulnerability of individuals, families and communities to suicide contagion and imitation.

The same social issues that determine the health of a community appear to determine the rates of suicide in a particular community. The Northern Territory has alarming rates of Indigenous suicide with corresponding critical social and econom ic determinants of health. This research has identified vulnerabilities which link with the determinants of suicide in Indigenous communities, with the breakdown of social connectedness, social cohesion, spiritual and emotional wellbeing, which are so vital in preventing suicide contagion and cluster suicides.

> Read more about the Cohort Effect

> Read more about Hotspots

Articles

> "Suicide (Echo) Clusters" – Are They Socially Determined, the Result of a Pre-existing Vulnerability in Indigenous Communities in the Northern Territory and How Can We Contain Cluster Suicides?