Suicide - for too long it's been a taboo subject. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families and communities. It also has long-lasting effects on the people left behind.
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More than 75 per cent of deaths by suicide in Australia are men.
Consistently over the past decade, the number of suicide deaths was about three-times higher in males than females.
This is not new information, but it's still deeply concerning.
Suicide remains the leading cause of death among young people.
Also over-represented in the statistics are Indigenous Australians and veterans.
It can be easy to be swept up in the numbers. To forget that each figure represents a person - someone's son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father or friend. To forget that every life lost to suicide, will inevitably impact hundreds.
In 2016 Tasmania's suicide rate reached a 10-year high with 92 deaths in total.
Since then, according to the latest ABS data released on Wednesday, we have made some progress in bringing these figures down. But last year we still lost 78 Tasmanians to suicide. This is 78 too many.
A recent report from KPMG, on behalf of Suicide Prevention Australia, warned suicide deaths were on track to grow up to 40 per cent nationally without better prevention and earlier intervention.
A big part of this starts with community education and recognising that the response needed to prevent suicide is largely a community response.
There has been a lot of progress around changing the suicide dialogue.
But the stigma around mental health disorders often means people don't seek help or speak out. That's why it is so important to talk about it.
Suicide is a complex issue. With this in mind, suicide prevention efforts require collaboration across multiple sectors - an integrated response.
Tasmania is making progress, and as part of Mental Health Week in October there will be numerous opportunities to come together as a community and take action.
Let's make the most of it.
- Lifeline 13 11 14