At least one West Australian with a terminal or debilitating disease is dying by suicide each fortnight, coronial data has revealed.

More than half of the suicides are by people aged over 60, most of them men.

The data showed about one in seven suicides in WA in the past five years involved a person with a terminal or debilitating condition, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular illness and arthritis.

The case studies accompanying the figures revealed the personal stories behind the suicide statistics, such as:

A man aged over 80 who had anxiety, depression and arthritis and was due to have surgery on a big scalp tumour. Previous surgery had caused him pain and discomfort, and had not stopped his cancer from coming back. Many of his friends had also died in recent years.

A middle-aged woman who had recurrent, but successfully treated, skin cancer, as well as diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypertension and mood swings. After coming home intoxicated one afternoon, she argued with her daughter, fell over and went to bed, where she was later found dead.

A man in his 40s whose relationship had recently broken down. He suffered a workplace accident a decade ago, was later injured in a car incident and had cervical spine fusion treatment. He was taking pain medication, suffered migraines and had started behaving out of character in the days before his death.

Of the 240 people who died by suicide between 2012 and 2017, 100 had suffered a decline in their health in the lead-up to their death.

'No view' on euthanasia laws: WA Coroner

The statistics were included in a submission by WA Coroner Ros Fogliani to a parliamentary committee charged with designing voluntary euthanasia laws.

The committee will restart public hearings next week, with Ms Fogliani scheduled to give evidence next month.

The data was provided by the National Coronial Information System, which noted the true number of cases could be under-reported.

It only includes suicides which have been referred to the coroner and involve a person who had been diagnosed with a terminal or debilitating condition.

Ms Fogliani made no comment about the statistics in her submission and noted she would "express no view on whether there is a need or desirability for such laws in Western Australia".

She argued that if voluntary euthanasia laws involved the administration of medication to end life, a resulting death should be considered reportable to her office and may require a label other than suicide to describe the cause of death.