Suicide in Australia: Statistics and Causes - Paper Example

Introduction

Suicide is defined as the process in which one intentionally chooses to end their life. In Australia, suicide is amongst the primary causes of death, with a mortality rate of 1.9% annually (Staff, 2019). The statistics are conducted in the criteria that the death must have resulted from unnatural circumstances such as poisoning, injury, and suffocation but not diseases. Secondly, the action that resulted in death must be self-caused. Finally, the victim individual should have shown the intention to die. Among the most affected groups are youths, men, and the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people of Australia (Staff, 2019). The paper explores suicide amongst youths and Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal individuals of Australia; additionally, the paper evaluates various programs that target to decrease suicide rates in the described population groups.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Part A

Suicide among the Youth/Men in Australia

Suicide is regarded as the primary cause of death for individuals aged between 15-34 years in Australia. Amongst the group, the males comprise two-thirds of the total number compared to females who commit suicide (Staff, 2019). The most common cause of suicide among youth is depression and other related mental disparities. Other reasons resulting in a high suicide rate in the country include trauma, mental illness, physical illness, excessive alcohol consumption, stressful life occasions, and poor living status (Staff, 2019). The suicide cases have a significant effect on the individuals, family, and the entire Australian community.

Before these individuals opt to commit suicide, there are vital signs that are mostly observed. Individuals tend to lose interest in socialising or spending time with friends. Youths with an intention to commit suicide tend to get involved in risky activities, show drastic behavioural changes, seem extra aggressive and irritated, and talk about death regularly. In addition, these individuals also get involved in the usage of illicit drugs, attempt to harm themselves, and show clear signs of low self-esteem. Through the identification of such warning signs, close individuals to the affected person can work together with health departments to avoid a suicide case (Youth Suicide, 2019).

There are protective aspects that enable more resiliencies in reducing suicide cases among youths in Australia. If one identifies an individual with suicide warning signs, it is vital that they develop a supportive social environment for them. Ensuring individuals showing suicidal behaviours are not lonely and isolated decreases the chances of them suffering from depression (Youth Suicide, 2019). In addition, one should give them a chance to exercise freedom of choice when it comes to less important issues; this way, they get to have a sense of control that often boosts one’s self-esteem during such experiences. It is essential that the family of individuals portraying suicide symptoms maintain family harmony; it protects the suicidal individual against psychological, emotional, and social challenges (Youth Suicide, 2019). The most effective aid one can give a troubled individual is seeking the necessary help; this can be possible by reaching out to good health service centres that are specialised in diagnosing such issues.

Although suicide is a solitary action, the friends and family of the victim are always the ones to suffer the emotional consequences. The people close to the victim will be affected by the loss more intimately because they lack their physical presence (Kinchin & Doran, 2018). However, those individuals are not the only ones affected by suicide; other members of the community are also significantly impacted. For instance, the teachers, co-workers, service providers, and other people might have common interactions with the departed (Kinchin & Doran, 2018).

The family of individuals that commit suicide tends to experience psychological difficulties such as depression, stress, and some members of the family often lose the sense of purpose in life. The families are affected by the external opinion regarding the occurrence of suicide amongst them; the experience makes them feel shame, guilt, and self-criticism influenced by the fear of social stigmatisation (Kinchin & Doran, 2018).

Suicide among the Australian Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Individuals

Another group of individuals that is accountable for a high number of suicide cases is the Australian Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal individuals. Conferring to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, suicide has registered the highest mortality rate for Indigenous younger generations, especially aged from five to 17 (Staff, 2019). From 2014 to 2019, Indigenous youngsters represented almost a quarter of entirely suicide cases related to children. Most of the suicide deaths among Indigenous Australians are associated with individuals below 45 years.

There are a majority of risk factors associated with common suicidal behaviour amongst the group in question. One of the major suicidal aspects is the continuous exposure of Indigenous Australians to a disadvantaged socio-economic class that is characterised by many psychological stress inducers; the majority of Indigenous people live below the poverty line. Another suicide influencer among the group is the grief caused by premature deaths amongst family members of the Indigenous community. Due to the aspect of illiteracy common within the Australian Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal individuals, there are many cases of inter-personal conflicts and violence that often results in suicide cases (Staff, 2019). The issue of transgenerational grief, trauma, and cost related to cases of forced children mistreatment also causes an increase in suicide cases among children of Indigenous Australians. People of this community tend to be regular victims of discrimination and racism at both system and institutional levels; the aspect results in self-hate that facilitates suicidal behaviours. Poor health characterised by a gap in mental health services and emotional deficiency is a key factor in the high number of suicide cases (Staff, 2019).

There are protective measures identified that can aid in reducing and eliminating the high rate of suicide among Indigenous people of Australia. First, ensuring that every individual in the community can access basic education, the aspect can give a sense of purpose for many Indigenous Australians (Staff, 2019). The government can implement policies that eliminate discrimination and racism towards the group in question. The health systems in Australia should develop strategies to deliver mental health services amongst the Indigenous community. In regards to violence experienced by these individuals, it is vital that campaigns are launched that advocate for peace and unity within the Indigenous group.

Suicide tends to create a gap in the community because of the registered loss. Other individuals within the community might feel responsible for suicide because of their previous interactions with the victim. The act also causes suicide stigma within the society hence increasing the risk of more suicide cases (Kinchin & Doran, 2018). The coping skills of other individuals struggling with similar challenges to the victim are influenced adversely, thus increasing the chances of similar occurrences. In addition, it is impossible for the affected community to fill the economic and social gap created by the deceased (Kinchin & Doran, 2018).

Part B

Importance of Suicide Prevention Programs

Australia is experiencing a heightened rate of suicide every day and annually. There are organisations that have been mandated to develop preventive programs to reduce suicide. Despite having varying causes of suicide, the programs that are used to prevent suicide have common goals. The two main shared goals include reducing suicidal risks and promoting coping mechanisms to avoid suicide. Various programs are employed in Australia to prevent suicide. These programs are significant because;

a) They Offer Training that is Essential to Prevent Suicidal Cases

Most of these programs are essential in creating awareness about suicide by training people on ways to prevent it. A person prone to commit suicide expresses various signs that one can observe and tell that he or she will kill him or herself. The importance of a suicidal preventive program offers people the training that helps one recognise the signs that someone is considering to commit suicide (CDC, 2019). They also train people on how to handle various situations resulting from suicide. They also help in starting a dialogue with a person who is vulnerable and provide them with resources that can help them from committing suicide.

Sometimes it is difficult to engage in communication with a person with suicidal thoughts. However, having gone through a suicidal preventive program, it is easier to engage in a conversation as one is trained on the best communication skills to employ. Through conversing, it is possible to convince the person ideating to commit suicide; there are other tools to use to overcome stress and depression and that harming themselves is not their only option.

b) Suicide Preventive Programs Reduce the Risk of Stigma

People who have attempted suicide tend to suffer from stigmatisation from society. By going through suicidal preventive programs, the victim is trained on ways of overcoming stigmatisation. The society is also informed about the problems of stigmatising people who have attempted suicide. The suicidal programs are also used to inform the society about the problems of judging those who have gone through suicide. The programs reduce the problems of stigmatising suicide victims. Stigmatisation may also make a person who has been saved from suicide to consider it again due to stigmatisation.

c) Preventive Programs Prevent Youths from Committing Suicide

Anyone can become hopeless after a series of depression and stress. Young people are prone to suffering from emotional swings and may act or become withdrawn. To reduce these cases, suicide prevention programs have been used to help the youths normalise and understand that committing suicide or self-harm is not their last option (CDC, 2019). Some of the youths commit suicide due to bullying. These suicide preventive programs also create awareness on how to stop bullying and other factors that can propel an individual into committing suicide.

The programs can enable the parents to help their children to be part of the general solution on the matters that lead to self-harm or suicide by offering them tools that can help them deal with difficult situations with their peers. Through these programs, the parents are able to teach their children to behave when they are with friends who constantly talk about suicide or ideas of self-harm. Thus, these programs provide parents with clear communication platforms to help their children avoid situations that can lead to self-harm or suicide.

Identification, Discussion, and Evaluation of Programs

Program 1: Australian RUOK? Day Campaign

Suicide in Australia is a major health concern that has been recognised and prioritised by the government as a public health issue. To fight suicide in Australia, various programs are conducted to create awareness against suicide. One of the programs is R U OK? Day. The campaign targets preventing suicide by empowering and encouraging Australians to contact their families and friends who might be going through personal problems and difficulties.

R U OK? Day is an essential public health promotion movement in Australia that is done every year in September as a program to encourage the use of social support to deal with personal diffi...