The Coroners Court of Victoria’s monthly suicide report has found no major increase of suicides in the wake of continuous COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the state government.
As of July 31, Victoria recorded 384 suicides, a decrease on the previous four years, the Coroners Court found.
At the same time last year, 436 Victorians had died by suicide, while in 2019, there were 418 suicides recorded.
While 2020 saw Victoria under lockdown for a combined 154 days, the state saw a decrease in suicides, with 713 recorded compared to 720 in 2019.
“These are important numbers. They show that whilst demand for mental health services have increased massively this year, suicides have not increased.” John Brogden, Chairman of LifeLine Australia, the country’s largest suicide prevention service, said.
Although suicides have not risen over the past 18 months, a record number of calls have been made to LifeLine and Beyond Blue through the course of the pandemic.
LifeLine, Australia’s largest suicide prevention service provider has reported a 40 per cent increase in calls when compared to pre pandemic levels.
On Thursday, August 19, as Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, were under strict lockdown orders due to rising case numbers, LifeLine received 3,505 calls in a single day, the most recorded in the organisations 57-year history.
It was the fourth time this month this record has been broken.
Similarly, Ambulance Victoria has seen a spike in call outs to self-injuries, attempted suicides and suicide ideation.
Attendances by Ambulance Victoria for self-harm and suicide thoughts increased by 40% in 2020, with 11,141 incidents responded to, compared to 10,314 in 2019.
However, similar to the findings of the Coroners Court of Victoria, suicide attempts decreased last year by 4.7% from 3527 in 2019 to 3362 in 2020.
Although suicides have not increased in the past 18 months, Ambulance Victoria attendances to self-injuries and suicide ideation increased in 2020 with a 40% increase for self-injuries and a 9% increase for suicide ideation.
Statistics for 2021 have not been made available by the Australian Institute of Health and Awareness regarding attendance by Ambulance Victoria, so it is unclear if the increase has continued this year.
If you, or anyone you know needs support, call LifeLine on 13 11 14, or contact Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
