Hospitals and Healthcare

The Federal Government's $48 million spend on a pandemic mental health plan falls well short of what's needed to prevent a looming disaster, with Australia facing a likely 25 per cent increase in suicides, a former national mental health commissioner says.

Curtin University’s latest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled, ‘‘Talk to me’: Improving mental health and suicide prevention in young adults'.

You might feel nervous asking someone you care about if they're suicidal on the phone or online. But a person who is struggling may actually find it easier to communicate this way than face-to-face.

Expanding suicide prevention frameworks to include aged care residents, aligning nursing home life with community living, and improving residents' access to mental heath services will be key.

Half of all coronavirus-related youth suicides in Australia can be prevented if there is better follow-up care after people try to take their own lives, services are increased and unemployment rates are reduced, according to Sydney University's Brain and Mind Centre.

Imagine trying to eradicate COVID-19 without knowing how many cases there are in Australia. That is the situation mental health advocates say is hampering the fight against suicide.

“She tried to do her job, and it killed her,” said the father of Dr. Lorna M. Breen, who worked at a Manhattan hospital hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.

Readers debate how we should talk about suicide