Men depressed as adolescents in the 1990s have carried their suicidality with them into middle age, says mental health commissioner Ian Hickie

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Men who were depressed as adolescents in the 1990s have carried their suicidality with them into middle age, leading to the highest suicide rate in 13 years, a national mental health commissioner, psychiatrist Prof Ian Hickie, says.

New mortality data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday shows the overall suicide rate has increased significantly from 10.9 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people in 2013 to 12 suicides per 100,000 people in 2014 – the highest rate since 2001.

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Suicide is the leading cause of premature mortality in Australia. But rates have been been particularly stark in men aged 40 to 44 years, with 18.3% of male deaths in this age group attributable to suicide.

While the highest age-specific suicide death rate for men in 2014 was seen in the 85 years and over age group, Hickie said suicide among middle-age men was increasing dramatically and that it was concerning that people in the most productive years of their lives were dying.

“There are a group of men who are, as they age, taking their suicidality with them and these are the people driving the increase we see in suicide deaths,” Hickie said.

Suicidality, also known as suicide ideation, is when people experience serious thoughts of suicide.

“Youth suicide hit its peak in the 1990s and men suffering from unaddressed depression and mental health problems then are having that exacerbated by problems they face as they enter middle age, leading some to suicide,” Hickie said.



Many of these men were employed in manufacturing, construction, farming and mining, Hickie said, fields which over the past few years have experienced high levels of redundancies and uncertainty.



Men suffering from unaddressed mental health problems are having [those] exacerbated by problems they face in middle age Prof Ian Hickie

“Those with better employment prospects in these fields a decade ago are now experiencing a downturn, they often have families to support and mortgages to pay and they are then losing their jobs and losing their connection to friends and financial security. They become disconnected.

“Sometimes their families fall apart as a result and they find themselves going through a divorce and personal upheaval too.”

There were no strong mental health campaigns and services targeting middle-aged men in these fields, Hickie said. While people employed in secure and growing industries, and who were technologically savvy, had strong prospects of reaching out for help when they were depressed, he said, men in more hands-on fields often felt they had nowhere to turn.

“There is a considerable variability in suicide rates, so while it’s on its way up nationally, we know suicide in higher-resourced areas is half that, while suicide in rural and regional areas, with declining industries and low resourcing, is twice that.

“That’s why the mental health commission’s national review called for 12 big regional trials to be held, backed by substantive financial investment, to work out how you maximise new technology and coordinate health services and prevention services and communities in regional areas to reach these people. But this hasn’t happened.”

Prof Helen Christensen, the chief scientist of the Black Dog Institute and the NHMRC centre for research excellence in suicide prevention, said it was essential to reach people before they reached crisis point.

“If we look to the research evidence from here and overseas, there are clear strategies that have been proven to reduce suicide risk,” she said.

“Only some of these are currently in use in Australia, and implementation tends to be scattered and disproportionate to their impact. It’s common sense. If we know what strategies are effective, surely we can have maximum impact by implementing them together.”

The highest rate of suicide in more than a decade should be a cause of great concern, according to Sane Australia CEO, Jack Heath. He described the situation as “simply unacceptable”.

“We need to redouble our efforts to prevent suicide at a national, state and local level,” he said.

“As a country, we’ve been able to drastically cut the number of deaths from heart disease, aids, cancer and motor vehicle accidents. We can, and must, do the same with suicide.



If you need support you can call: Lifeline 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467, Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800, MensLine 1300 78 99 78.









