The significant increase of youth suicide in Australia over the past decade, has become the focus of both community and government concern.

Since 1991, more Australians have died by suicide than by motor vehicle accidents. 2500 deaths per year in Australia are by suicide, and for males aged 15-24, 25 percent of all recorded deaths are by suicide: three times the rate of thirty years ago

There are two major leads in regard to the cause of suicide as a whole.

Depression is broadly recognised as the medical cause, where the problem is seen as belonging to the individual. Under this model, the illness itself is treated, so the remedy involves mental health interventions.

Stress is the other causing factor; only this model points to the social framework in which suicide occurs as being of the most importance. The way in which society influences the individual is vital in explaining suicidal behaviour, so the remedy involves identifying the influential social factors and introducing change to alleviate their impact on the individual (HSH 1995). The rise in rate of youth suicide is popularly attributed to the idea that adolescents today are u

The consequence of belonging to a modern, technological society such as ours, is the increased social pressure to excel. These high expectations have been cultivated with help from the media. Suicidal people are often over achievers, who set unrealistic goals for themselves, and cannot cope with their perceived failure. The suicide rate of doctor’s is about 50% higher than in the general community (FWN 1997).

Another view is the standard of living and quality of life for young people in Western countries has improved. There is better education, physical health, more possessions and leisure activities. There are fewer external sources to blame for unhappiness, which could increase psychological distress and may lead to suicide (HSH: 1995). It is suggested that the way to counter this is to involve adolescents in activities they find meaningful and fulfilling.

Talking about suicide with a suicidal person will not encourage them to carry it out. Talking provides the opportunity for communication, which let’s them know someone cares about them, and provides an opportunity for them to share their problems.

The ability to predict suicidal behaviour is still relatively poor, given that an estimated 80 percent of young people who complete suicide have tried to communicate suicidal thoughts and feelings prior to the act (Rose 1999).

Although the youth suicide rate in Australia is high by international standards, the problem is also prevalent in other industrialised nations (HSH 1995), which leads us to look more closely at how our society is contributing to the problem.

LIFE (living is for everyone) is a national framework for suicide prevention which can be accessed by the whole community, with copies available to read at all public libraries. The latest bulletin (No. 5 February 2001) revealed that the suicide rates for 1999 (ABS) are lower than those in previous years, which may indicate success for the government initiative.

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