Coronavirus: Suicides stable but youth struggling from isolation

Victoria hasn’t seen a rise in suicide deaths in 2020, despite the isolation and uncertainty brought on by successive coronavirus lockdowns.

Mental health expert Patrick McGorry says Victoria’s youth is struggling under the restrictions.

Victoria hasn’t seen a rise in suicide deaths in 2020, despite the fear that isolation and uncertainty brought on by successive coronavirus lockdowns would trigger a mental health crisis in the state.

Yet mental health expert Patrick McGorry has said the state’s youth is struggling under restrictions, with a 33 per cent increase in young people presenting to hospital because of self-harm.

This comes as Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, on Wednesday acknowledged the “pain and strain” the stage-four lockdown caused Victorians.

A spokeswoman for Victoria’s Coroner’s Court said the state had recorded 460 suicide deaths to August 21, 2020, compared with 455 in the same period in 2019.

Professor McGorry, executive director of youth mental health organisation Orygen, said he believed the steady number was because of the good work of mental health professionals in the face of surging numbers of mental health issues

He said there had been a 33 per cent increase in young people hospitalised for self-harming as well as a 20 per cent increase in calls for help. “That means people working in mental health are doing a good job in basically holding back the tide at the moment,” he said.

Mental health not-for-profit BeyondBlue recorded a 20 per cent spike in calls and online contact in Victoria in June as the state transitioned from stage-three to stage-four restrictions.

Professor McGorry said Victoria’s young people were struggling in isolation under successive lockdowns, with the return of remote learning and visitor restrictions meaning they were separated from their friends and peers. As well, they face a bleak future as the state haemorrhages jobs under tough industry restrictions while the national economy flounders.

“I think they are the eye in a perfect storm here,” he said.

Professor McGorry said many young people were losing hope and perspective, likening the mental health crisis to the state standing on the edge of a cliff. “People who are more vulnerable are being pushed over the edge,” he said.

Dr Sutton on Wednesday said the government would review transmission data before making decisions on easing restrictions, acknowledging the “significant pain and strain” felt in the community.

If this story raises any concerns, contact Lifeline at 13 11 14 or BeyondBlue at 1800 512 348