Youth suicide: One third of victims didn't receive mental health treatment

Friends of a Sydney man who died by suicide last year say he never got any professional help. A concerning new report shows he is one of many to have fallen through the cracks.

Tom Grunberger knows all too well the fatal price of not speaking up when you are struggling.

The Clovelly man lost his close friend to suicide late last year at the age of 22 after a long battle with mental illness.

“He had moved to Adelaide and we were pretty sure he didn’t get any help there.

“He moved there in an ­attempt to try to rebuild himself and get better but I don’t think he got any help,” Mr Grunberger said.

Thomas Grunberger, who lost his close friend to suicide late last year. Picture:Justin Lloyd.

“He was 22 years old when he passed away and he was the kind of person that would unfortunately think it’s not the right thing to do to go and get help when he was struggling.

“He had told us he had tried to take his life before but he didn’t really understand that he could go speak to the doctor and get a pathway to support.”

Mr Grunberger’s friend is like many of the 3027 young people who died by suicide between 2006 and 2015 — with one-third of them not receiving mental health care at the time of their deaths, according to research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Researchers analysed data from the National Coronial Information System for people aged 10-24 years who suicided and found that one third had used illicit substances.

Associate Professor Jo Robinson said it was crucial that care services were co-ordinated after a person left the emergency department following a self-harm admission.

A third of suicide victims did not receive any mental health treatment. Picture: iStock

“The youth suicide rate in Australia could be reduced markedly by providing co-­ordinated care after discharge from emergency departments following treatment for self-harm, and by increasing the capacity of specialist mental health services,” Prof Robinson said.

“Further investment in drug and alcohol services could be helpful, as one-third of young people who died by suicide had used illicit substances.”

Prof Robinson said despite numerous government inquiries Australia still had a long way to go in the effective prevention of suicide.

“There have been no efforts to systematically introduce clinical interventions for this purpose in emergency departments across Australia,” she said.

“Nor have there been co-­ordinated efforts to strengthen service systems (such as referral pathways) at critical points of entry, such as primary care, and discharge … (and) emergency departments.”

News Corp Australia this week launches Mental Health 360, bringing together mental health experts and those touched by it first-hand.

Panel experts include former Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry, Sydney University’s Professor Ian Hickie, child psychiatrist Professor Jon Jureidini, Chris Turton who lost his son Dan to suicide, Kids Helpline CEO Tracy Adams and country music star and Rural Advisory Mental Health Program ambassador Melinda Schneider.

Together with Sky News’ Peter Stefanovic and senior journalists Sue Dunlevy, Ben Pike, Natasha Bita and Kathy McCabe, Mental Health 360 dissected what is arguably the biggest issue impacting Australians.