OPTIONS: We should be using modern medicine and support services for mental health in the same way we have used technology and statistics to reduce the road toll, says Tracey.

In New Zealand, we speak a lot about the road toll.

The yearly toll, the holiday toll, the number of people who die each year on our roads. And also the measures taken to try to reduce it - reducing speed, changing drink driving rules and maybe even the driving age.

However there is one toll, one yearly number of deaths, by a particular cause that is not really discussed, not really focussed on and I believe not enough is being done to make it smaller - our suicide rate.

In 2013, from January to December, 253 people died on our roads. This has been steadily decreasing since 1987, when it was 795 people.

In 2013/14, during the statistical 12 months, 529 people died from suicide. This has been hovering about the mid 500s since 1997.

In the past seven years, 2391 people died on our roads. In the same timeframe, 3787 people committed suicide.

We may have reached the point of limited returns with our current focus on speed, alcohol and safety with respect to our road toll. But surely the mental health of our nation deserves the same focus on targeted reduction of numbers.

Although money has been spent on advertising and awareness of mental health issues, money also needs to be spent on the nitty gritty end.

Beds and emergency assistance for people who are about to add to this toll. And much more on prevention of this. People who have asked for help, and at present are being turned away and put off by the hoops to be jumped though to get assistance. Or refusal of care because of lack of beds. Many people have to get to this stage to receive care, because there was no funding to nip it in the bud.

We have modern medicine and support services. We should be using them in the same way we have used technology and statistics to reduce the road toll.

Our road toll has reduced because of a focus on eliminating risk factors and our mental healthcare should be no different.

Mental illness can be invisible. But we need to be discussing this number of suicides along with the road toll.

Is our spending comparable? I don't have access to that information, but I would be very interested to know.

So from now on, every time the number of road deaths is mentioned I want the suicide rate for the same timeframe mentioned too. Holiday road toll? Holiday suicide rate for the same timeframe so we don't forget, and so it is spoken.

It is real. We need to do something about it. Now.

Read more:

* Why are Kiwi youth committing suicide?

* Suicide and NZ 'epidemic'

* 'I was orphaned by suicide'

Help

* National suicide prevention

* Community Action on Suicide Prevention Education and Research (CASPER)