According to the data, 108 of those deaths occurred in Tasmania during that year - with the rate of deaths consistent yet rising over a 10 year period.

Rural Alive and Well chief executive Barb Walters said the data was saddening to see.

"There's still so much work to be done," she said.

"The isolation is increasing, and we find that isolation is one of the biggest isolational stressers that does lead to poor mental health, particularly where RAW fits and our space.

"That's seen an increase in the amount of people that are reaching out for our services."

Men were recorded as being three to four times more likely to take their own lives. In 2019, there were 2502 deaths by suicide for men, a rate markedly higher than women.

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Since 2008, the rates have been higher for males aged between 40-49 and over 85.

The AIHW said although it was a relatively rare cause of death, in 2019 2 per cent of all deaths were by suicide, which can have devastating and long-lasting effects on those left behind.

Ms Walters said it still appeared as if there was a stigma for the older generation when it came to speaking up, and reaching out for assistance.

"Pride, it comes down to being proud and not wanting to ask for help because they're traditionally fit and strong with this role - for them to be vulnerable is a space they don't necessarily know how to deal with," she said.

Suicide was also the leading cause of death for young people aged between 15-24.

In 2019, 384 young people took their own lives. Of these, 98 were aged between five and 17, with the majority occurring in the 15-17 year age group - which represented 40 per cent of all deaths for that age group.

Ms Walters said young people may not necessarily know where to go to seek help, with a lack of services targeted towards young people adding to a feeling of helplessness.

"I think it's more people not wanting to feel like they're being a burden, that feeling of overall helplessness and hopelessness, feeling isolated and not realising that there is help available," she said.

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"Thinking that people won't understand - that risk and that worry and nervousness about speaking up.

"We're noticing a lack of meaningful social connections - we've got social media connections but they're not real, you don't get the same pick me up for your wellbeing when you're in the same room as a friend."

The AIHW report also showed there was a rise in the use of mental health services and an increase in psychological distress during 2020, but there was no evidence to date that the COVID-19 pandemic had been associated with a rise in suspected deaths by suicide.

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The data showed a rise in the use of crisis lines and mental health services since the onset of COVID-19, but it was unclear to what extend this was driven by a rise in psychological distress, rather than a higher proportion of people seeking assistance for other reasons.

A range of data indicated there were rises in the level of psychological distress in 2020, with the AIHW saying increased contact is almost certainly indicative of a rise in the need for assistance as a result of the pandemic.

What Ms Walters said she and her organisation wanted to see was a focus on preventative measures - people coming forward before they "really needed help".

"We have to have more prevention services like RAW," she said.

"What we need is to be there before stuff gets tough - organisations like RAW, we're out in the communities, immersing ourselves because we don't want to just be working with people when they're not feeling well.

"Let's start looking way before they're feeling unwell - we need to work on making families and communities resilient."

RAW also offers workplace mental health support, including first aid training.

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