Social isolation, unemployment and the destruction of careers and businesses as a result of the coronavirus restrictions are already responsible for an increase in the rate of suicides, according to service providers working in the area. An additional 750 to 1500 suicides are expected if unemployment reaches forecast levels.

Most of these will be men; of the 3046 Australians who took their own lives in 2018, 2320 were males. The suicide rate for men is 18.7 per 100,000 people compared with 5.8 for females. Furthermore, the trend is up. In the 10 years from 2009 to 2018 the number of men and boys dying by suicide rose 30 per cent. The overall rate rose from 10.8 to 12.2 and now, on average, eight Australians are taking their own lives each day; six men and two women.