Youth suicide: Riverina argues for better mental health outcomes after teen deaths

A spate of teenage suicides in the Riverina region over the past month have prompted grieving families to urge the government to improve access to mental health services.

A girl who was just 12 years old is one of the three youths who have taken their lives in the past month in the state’s Riverina region, prompting their grieving families and experts to urge the government to do more to improve access to mental health services.

Lauren Rafferty, 12, and Rocky Cavanagh, 14, from Wagga Wagga and a third youth, a 17-year-old girl from Griffith, took their own lives after battling mental illness, adding to the region’s mounting youth suicide rate.

Lauren took her life on Mother’s Day after struggling with depression and bullying. Her heartbroken mother said a lack of mental health support in reg­ional NSW contributed to the plight of her “sweet, strong” daughter.

Lauren Rafferty’s family said the 12-year-old was let down by a broken system. Picture: Supplied

Rachelle Rafferty desperately tried to get her daughter the help she needed, but struggled to navigate a broken system.

“Since Lauren’s death on Mother’s Day, and subsequent thorough investigation, we now know how far the cumulative effect of systematic failure contributed,” Ms Rafferty said.

“Numerous attempts over the past two years were made to help Lauren. We had difficulty navigating and accessing mental health support for children, especially in reg­ional areas.”

There has been widespread speculation that the Kooringal High School student was a victim of bullying.

However, her mother says she did not face much more bullying than most children her age.

“Lauren had a greater sadness than any of us could fathom, which spiralled and deepened,” she said.

Ms Rafferty said her daughter’s “sweet, strong, kind, quick-witted, creative and beautiful soul” struggled in an “increasingly cruel and relentless” world.

She is calling for more mental health support for young people in the regions and to urge others to be ­kinder to one another.

“It is our wish that the world could have more peace, kindness and generosity ­towards one another – starting with our own community. It’s our res­ponsibility to improve the human race mentally and environmentally so that we all can shine instead of suffer,” she said.

A week after Lauren’s death, Rocky, an indigenous boy described by his family as an “outgoing, smart, respectful” young man who loved life, committed suicide on May 17.

In a joint statement, his mother Bianca Lyons and grandmother Laura Lyons said the lack of mental health support when he was living both in and out of home care contributed to his suicide.

Lauren’s mother said the “sweet” 12-year-old struggled in an increasingly “cruel” world.

“Rocky was removed and placed into out-of-home care. The services had limited ­resources to support him,” they said.

“Once DCJ (Departments of Communities and Justice) granted full parental responsibility on to his mum all ­financial support he was ­receiving at that time was relinquished.

“The family believe that the lack of support and ­resources along with the ­rejections and failures played contributing factors to Rocky’s suicide.”

The pair said past trauma played a big role in his poor mental health and called on the government to provide more funding for regional support services: “The family believes there is not appropriate mental health support and funding.”

A third teenager, a girl aged 17, also took her life on May 20.

The suicide rate per 100,000 people in the Riverina is the seventh-highest in the state with 130 deaths in the five years to 2019, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.

Rocky Cavanagh was one of three teenagers who tragically took their own life in the Riverina this month.

Local Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MP Helen Dalton says a youth suicide crisis has been gripping the region for several years, with five teenagers ending their lives in 2020.

“This is not an isolated ­incident. We are not doing OK, we have one of the highest rates of suicide of Australia,” she said.

She has written to Mental Health Minister Bronwyn Taylor about the need for a specialised mental health unit in the area “We have no mental health facilities in my electorate. I get emails constantly with regards to there being no support at all,” she said.

“More lives are going to be lost if nothing is done.”

But Ms Taylor has hit back, questioning how much research Ms Dalton had done.

“Helen Dalton is playing politics with mental health and has no understanding of how mental health services operate in her own electorate,” she said.

“Every life lost is a tragedy and my heart goes out to the families and friends who have lost someone after they took their own life.

“Suicide is extremely complex and we all need to take focused and coordinated steps to reduce it and provide greater support across the community.

“There are currently no waiting lists for mental health services in Griffith and I urge anyone who needs help to reach out.”

The rate of youth suicide in regional areas is three times higher than the rest of the country because of a lack of access to services, according to adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.

“You’ve got poverty as a risk factor, financial stress and isolation and the lack of services. You’ve got the unholy trinity of risk factors,” he said.

He believes increasing the number of psychologists in ­regions, boosting the Medicare rebate and introducing direct referrals to psychologists would help curb the crisis. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Lauren and Rocky’s family with ­funeral expenses.