THE Hunter New England and Central Coast primary health network has had the highest number of suicides in Australia since 2015, new national data shows.
A new centralised database drawing on real-time information from paramedics, coroners, hospitals, police and the Australian community has been launched in a bid to help prevent further deaths by suicide.
The National Suicide and Self-Harm Monitoring System, which aims to detect trends and guide interventions, shows suicide rates in the Hunter and Central Coast increased by almost 50 per cent since 2010.
In the eight years to 2018, almost 1400 people living in the primary health network took their own lives.
In 2018 alone, there were 178 suicides in the region.
The Hunter New England and Central Coast's age-standardised rate of 14.6 per 100,000 population was higher than the national average of 12.1.
The monitoring system, launched on Tuesday on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website, allows people to search suicide rates by geographical area, gender, level of education, and risk factors.
Brooke Vitnell, a family law solicitor in Port Stephens, said she was not surprised to see three of the top four most frequently occurring psycho-social risk factors in suicide deaths involved separation and divorce, relationship issues, and problems related to legal proceedings.
"Every single day we have distressed men and distressed women in front of us pleading for access to children, pleading for an outcome for a family law matter," she said. "I've called clients at 9pm at night just to check if they were still alive because I was so worried.
"We have to have the Lifeline numbers, and numbers for community support, on our desks constantly to refer these clients."
Ms Vitnell said the suicide and self harm data had shown relationship breakdowns, exacerbated by experiences with the family law system, had been identified as major risk factors for both men and women.
Family law proceedings could take an "incredible toll" on individuals and families, who needed more support.
"We need to work on removing the stigma, start talking about it, and embrace what these statistics say so that we can work towards getting them moving in the other direction," she said.
"Because at the moment, the trajectory is not going in the right way - and we don't even have 2020's data yet."
Ms Vitnell said the pandemic had already sparked an increase in family law proceedings.
About 3000 people die by suicide in Australia each year.
Another 65,000 suicide attempts are reported.
But it is the ones that do not get reported - the ones written off as accidents, that deeply concern Kerrie Mathews.
The Lake Macquarie woman, who tragically lost two of her sons to suicide, said she hoped the new database would help guide new interventions that would actually help save lives.
"I've spoken out at so many events, and reached out to so many people but still, no matter what I do, it doesn't seem to make any difference," she said. "I'm only one person. But since my boys died, it is rising. The suicide rate is shocking, in our area in particular."
Suicide was the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 44 years old, with men three-to-four times more likely to take their own lives than women.
Dara Sampson, of the University of Newcastle's Centre for Brain and Mental Health Priority Research Centre, said the fact eight people died by suicide every day was a confronting statistic.
She hoped the new database would help more people understand mental health was an illness, not a sign of weakness. She said the Hunter was diverse, with parts of the region falling into the "rural" category.
"This is a broad, national, systemic issue," she said. "The data suggests 'remote' areas have fewer services, and it is difficult to attract social workers, psychologists and doctors to more remote areas. This needs structural change... As with every data set, it is important to take the statistics in context and not as an 'absolute' - nor should they be considered to be defining of a particular demographic or geographic groups."
Everymind acting director, Associate Professor Carmel Loughland, said researchers would have access to the linked health data for targeted responses and services for individuals at risk.
Lifeline: 13 11 14. Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.
IN THE NEWS:
- Merewether High scavenger hunt student faces discipline after taunting sex abuse victim
- NRL racial abuse allegation: Newcastle Knights' Mitch Barnett and Gold Coast Titans Tyrone Peachey head to conciliation
- Edgeworth crash: Friend sets up GoFundMe page set up to support family of Tamika Wever, still critical after horror crash
- Free parking for hospital health workers to continue
