National Suicide Prevention Conference

Last week I attended the week long, National Suicide Prevention Conference held in Perth, Western Australia.

 

Here are some interesting facts that I picked up whilst there.

In Australia, there is a suicide every three and a half hours.

97% of suicides are unpredictable.

There are more suicide related deaths than motor vehicle fatalities.

The greatest percentage of suicide is between 15 and 44 year olds.

Never consider anyone that may be suicidal low, medium, or high risk.  They are “at risk”.  Act immediately.

Australia does not have a standardised gold standard for suicide prevention as I type.  However, Suicide Prevention Australia is rolling it out in three weeks.  This is targeted at national medical best practice.

The death of anyone is not a suicide until a coroner says it is.

Suicide breeds suicide, particularly amongst younger people.

Never consider someone to have ‘successfully suicided’, the are a ‘suicide’.  A ‘failed’ or ‘unsuccessful’ suicide is termed now as attempted to take one’s own life.

To use a much coined term, ‘suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem’. Just don’t do it, life can and does change.  Ask for help, please, ask for help if you ever find yourself in the bottom of that well.  Ring me if you have to, just talk to someone. +61 418393743

Click the tea party picture.

Hamish