Australian SUICIDE 😌

Suicide is Australia’s leading cause of unnatural deaths. During the last decade, Australia has had among the world’s highest increases in its suicide toll, by 40 percent — and for First Nations Australians by 70 percent.

Australia’s suicide toll is more than three times the tragic road death toll and more than 30 times the heinous domestic violence homicides toll.

There are many who we have kept alive by someone being there for them, by improving their lives, validating their trauma, and subsequently disabling their trauma. There is no legacy more important than the one that improves a lot of others to the point of saving lives.

I remember everyone lost to suicide but foremost I remember those lost to suicide who we or others could have helped if we and others had been resourced to do so.

Suicide is a leading cause of death. One in three deaths of Australians aged 15 to 35 is by suicide. It is the leading cause of death in our children, aged 10 to 17. Understanding suicide prevention should be among the nation’s most pressing issues. Investing in suicide prevention, in outreach support, must finally occur by all governments.

For all Australians, whether they are the descendants of the First Peoples, newly arrived migrants from culturally diverse backgrounds, or marginalized Australians, there is an accumulation of stress never before had in modern society.

There is also an unprecedented capacity to hate. As the stressors pile, as society is commodified, as propagandas subsume, we are losing the love. We see this in our parliaments, the toxicity externalized. We cannot continue to accept leadership by hating, blaming, scorn.

I remember the screams and outpourings of suicide-affected families. I remember children lost to suicide, as young as nine. We need to lead with listening, civility, courtesy, and kindness.

Suicidal City is increasing. Governments must fund like never before, not more research but in-person services. Governments must also example leadership attitudes that do not promote bullying and ad hominem. They must not slag and be violently adversarial, for it echoes and contributes significantly to increasing suicide

One in 50 Australian deaths is suicide. This is disastrous. One in 17 First Nations deaths is a suicide. This is an indictment of the Australian nation.

As a nation we have endured 50 years of the suicide crises uninterrupted.