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Report of the
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Mental health
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Report of the
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Mental health
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| Note: | Hospital separations were classified using ICD-9-CM up to 1997-98 and ICD-10-AM from 1998-99 onwards. Rates were age-adjusted using the Australian population as at 30 June 2001. Numbers for 2004-05 include an estimate of the small number of interstate hospitalisations, data for which were unavailable at the time of production. |
| Source: | NSW Inpatient Statistics Collection and ABS population estimates (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health. |
In the 1997 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 3.5% of respondents aged 18 and over reported suicidal thoughts in the previous 12 months, and about 12% of that group also reported having made a suicide attempt (Pirkis et al., 2000). This corresponds to about 18,000 attempts in NSW in a year by people aged 18 and over. The 2004-05 National Health Survey reported that 4% of all adults reported experiencing very high levels of psychological distress (ABS, 2006).
Most people who contact health services after a suicide attempt are seen by emergency departments. They may or may not be admitted as hospital inpatients, and the injury may or may not be recorded as intentional. In recent years, there have been more than 10,000 hospital separations per year following suicide attempts.
Hospitalisation rates for suicide attempts are consistently higher in females than in males, while the death rates from suicide are about 3 - 4 times greater in males than in females. This is mostly due to males using more lethal methods than females.
| For more information: |
NSW Department of Health. Suicide prevention in NSW. Sydney: NSW Department of Health, 2003. Available at www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/s/pdf/well_suicide.pdf. Policy Division. The NSW Whole of Government Suicide Prevention Strategy. Sydney: NSW Department of Health, 1999. NSW Department of Health. Policy guidelines for the management of patients with possible suicidal behaviour for NSW Health staff and staff in private health facilities. Sydney: NSW Department of Health Circular 92/31, 1998. Pirkis J, Burgess P, Dunt D. Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among Australian adults. Crisis 2000; 21: 16-25. Steenkamp M, Harrison J. Suicide and hospitalised self-harm in Australia. Injury Research and Statistics Series. AIHW Catalogue no. INJCAT 30. Adelaide: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2000. Australian Government of Health and Aged Care's suicide prevention information available at Suicide prevention, national suicide prevention strategy www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-suicide and at Healthinsite www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Suicide_Prevention. Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Survey 2004-05: Summary of results. ABS Cat. NO. 4364.0 Canberra: ABS, 2006. Available at www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4364.02004-05?OpenDocument |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your Web browser, a higher quality version of this entire page (graph, table and text) is available as an Acrobat PDF file which can be printed or viewed on screen using free software. |
| Downloadable files: | The data contained in the table on this page are available for download as a CSV file which can be imported into many software packages. The graph is available for download as an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file and as an EMF (Enhanced Metafile Format) file. Files in these formats can be imported into most word processing, presentation and graphics software packages. |
| Copyright notice: | This work is copyright NSW Department of Health, 2006. It may be reproduced in whole or in part, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. Commercial usage or sale is prohibited. |
| Suggested citation: | Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales - Report of the Chief Health Officer. Sydney: NSW Department of Health. Available at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/chorep/men/men_suihos.htm. Accessed (insert date of access). |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 13 November 2006 |
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