It was left to Suicide Prevention Australia CEO Nieves Murray to inform the public of new research showing regional communities were the hardest hit by suicide.
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Unfortunately the latest research released on Wednesday didn't come as a shock to the Wollongong resident.
"We've experienced it ourselves here in the Illawarra, certainly in Kiama and Gerringong," Ms Murray said.
"But I have to say it is not just our regional community, there is other regional communities throughout Australia that are also doing it tough."
Ms Murray backed up this statement by pointing to new research showing regional Australians impacted by suicide are more likely to experience multiple loses of family, friends and community members (67 per cent) compared to their city counterparts (60).
Furthermore the findings showed growing concerns the economy, jobs (7 per cent), cost of living (4) and drugs and alcohol use (5) will increase suicide rates in the regions in the wake of COVID-19.
Suicide Prevention Australia released the regional-specific results on Wednesday, ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on Thursday, September 10.
The national peak body commissioned the YouGov poll of over 1000 Australians. The online survey was carried out between July 23 and July 26.
It found that more than 500,000 Australians have attempted suicide at some time in their life.
Just over 3000 people died from suicide in 2018.
'Things like job insecurity and financial distress for example create a heightened risk of suicide and people in regional communities are experiencing those things at a greater rate then people in the city.
"Now that is not to say that people in the city aren't in heightened levels of stress, they certainly are but our colleagues in the regional areas are feeling it even more so," Ms Murray said.
She called on the Federal Government to introduce a standalone National Suicide Prevention Act. that takes a whole of government, not just mental health, approach.
"I live in our regions and you only have to look around and see that global disasters like COVID-19 hit our local economies, communities and services harder and faster than our capital cities," Ms Murray said.
In shining a light on suicide prevention, it's important to not only help those in need, but also support Australians to know what to say beyond RUOK?
- Suicide Prevention Australia CEO Nieves Murray
"The better we can proactively predict what economic and social risks are facing our regional and rural communities, the better we can prepare Australians and prevent suicide rates increasing.
"International evidence shows the best way to achieve this is through a standalone National Suicide Prevention Act that embeds a whole of government, not just a mental health, response."
Ms Murray also commented on the controversial Tik-tok footage of a person taking their life.
"I think this is a really important role for regional media - to actually reduce the stigma, to actually fill the gap so that we haven't got people doing things like that on social media and creating all sorts of distress," she said.
"This is an opportunity to educate all Australians. We also need to reiterate that suicide prevention isn't just up to doctors and psychologists to address, the whole community can play a part in reducing rates.
"In shining a light on suicide prevention, it's important to not only help those in need, but also support Australians to know what to say beyond RUOK?"
If you need support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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