‘Undeniable lack of services’: Three suicides in Shepparton, just one month

Three young people have taken their lives in Shepparton within a month amid a soaring rate of self-harm across the Goulburn Valley.

Three young suicides within a month and a soaring rate of self-harm across the Goulburn Valley have been blamed, in part, on the Covid pandemic.

Three people in their 20s have taken their lives in the state’s north in November after the town was united in grief following two unconfirmed overdose deaths in October.

Leader is not suggesting the overdose deaths were suicides.

Another 15-year-old tried to take his life three times in one year and was forced to go to Box Hill, two hours from Shepparton, where there are only 12 beds for young people.

He hasn’t been to school in 12 months, 120 days of which he spent waiting to see a psychiatrist.

Goulburn Valley Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service manager Sally Thomas said self-harm incidents had almost doubled since the start of the pandemic.

She said more young people were also presenting with eating disorders.

“There has been an increase of between 30 and 40 per cent in the self-harm incidents which have been reported in our region,” she said.

“Those figures are consistent with what we’ve been seeing across the state but we are still concerned.”

Goulburn Valley Health has reported an increase of mental health issues among young people. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said there was an “undeniable lack of adequate services to help children and adolescents suffering from mental illness” within northeast Victoria.

“It has been well documented that mental illness is more prevalent in our young people than ever before,” she recently told parliament.

She said the Covid pandemic and cyber bullying could be attributed to mental health issues rising in young people but there were a “myriad of factors”.

“The pressures of life are being felt most by our kids, often silently without access to the services they need,” Ms Lovell said.

Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell.

Ms Lovell said the mother of the 15-year-old from Shepparton who had tried to take his life in October 2020, had been forced to take six months leave without pay.

“The reality is that (this) family live every day with a suicidal teenager and the entire family’s daily lives revolve around the welfare of their son, brother, and grandson,” she said.

The Goulburn Valley Boxing Academy, owned by Zedda Harrington, has lost three people connected to the gym to suicide in one month and says more desperately needs to be done.

“To use a boxing term, some people are against the ropes when they come to us and we see them build themselves back up,” Mr Harrington said.

“We didn’t build this place just to build local boxing champions. You don’t have to be a macho man to walk into our gym.

“I’ve been through hardship myself and I want to be able to help those who need support. If we can continue to be an outlet for mental health I know we would have done a good job here.

“My heart breaks for those families who have lost loved ones because one life is too many.”

Goulburn Valley Boxing Academy says it will always welcome young people struggling with mental health to its club.

Although the Victorian Government has announced a new 10-bed residential facility Youth Prevention and Recover Care facility for Shepparton, it won’t be ready until 2023.

Ms Thomas and her hospital staff said it would be welcomed once it does arrive.

“It will allow us to increase our care locally which will be really important for families,” she said.

“If we’re able to give more treatment here, it is going to help ease the burden.”

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