Coroners Court findings reveal sharp rise in youth suicides

A concerning report has revealed a steep rise in the number of young people dying as a result of a devastating community-wide problem.

Newly released figures which reveal a marked increase in youth suicides in Victoria are of “great concern” State Coroner Judge John Cain has warned.

Data released by the Coroners Court on Wednesday shows 13 Victorians under the age of 18 took their own lives in the first three months of 2023, an increase from two in the corresponding period last year.

The 13 deaths, nine of which were male and four of which were female, are more than double of those recorded in 2020 and 2021 and are a dramatic increase from the two deaths in each of 2019 and last year.

Figures released by the Coroners Court of Victoria reveal a concerning rise in youth suicides in the first three months of this year. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Judge Cain said the impacts of youth suicide are “far reaching”.

“The deaths of these young people by suicide in Victoria in just three months is of great concern,” he said.

“The drivers of suicide are complex; we must remember that behind each of these deaths is a unique personal story.

“The impact of a young person’s suicide on the wider community can also be profound and far-reaching.

“Young people have particularly broad community connections, through their families and friends, schools, sporting clubs and other activities they take part in,” Judge Cain said.

Bernard Galbally, chief executive of Youth Live4Life, a rural and regional youth suicide prevention organisation, told NCA NewsWire the report was “incredibly disturbing and sobering”.

“Every death by suicide has a huge impact on the friends and family,” Mr Galbally said.

Bernard Galbally, CEO of Youth Live4Life, said the Coroners Court finding was ‘sobering’. Supplied: Live4Life

He said state and federal governments were not investing enough in suicide prevention initiatives which offer “higher returns on investment” such as place-based community initiatives.

Mr Galbally said the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, published in February 2021, found 63 per cent of young people could not access the services they needed in rural and regional Victoria.

“We don’t need any more reports or Royal Commissions,” he said.

“We know what needs to be done.”