Veterans who take their own life are more likely to do so after leaving the service involuntarily, National Mental Health Commissioner Alan Woodward has told a Royal Commission hearing.
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Mr Woodward appeared at the inquiry into veteran suicides in Hobart on Monday to discuss issues with transition out of the defence force and the need for a tailored and evolving strategy to do with the mental health care for veterans.
He said there was a need for greater attention around the transition point where a person exited the service.
"My reading of the statistics and the analysis that has occurred is that there is a disproportionate number of deaths by suicide from those who have exited defence service and that the deaths by suicide have been more frequently found in the period quite soon after," Mr Woodward said.
"The statistics around the defence population also suggest to me that it is where a person is exiting defence service on an involuntary basis, there are also a greater representation of suicide death amongst that group."
He said a transition from the defence was a big deal for a person that had based their life on such a career.
"It's a big change and big changes are stressful," Mr Woodward said.
"We need to plan for them and ensure people have supports and maybe adjust to the change."
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He said within the defence force, there were support systems in place among peers and supervisors, proactive management of stress factors, and the promotion of living well.
"For the veterans community, the transition process needs to likewise uphold the notion of supporting to live well in the knowledge that there are certain stresses and strains that can be addressed," Mr Woodward said.
"We need to move away from the notion that we're only going to give attention to the people when they're desperate crisis.
"Let's see if we can moveshift the whole thing so that people are living well because we're actively promoting living well."
He said it was essential to include people with lived experience of suicide to be included in suicide prevention policies.
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Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
