Medically reviewed by
Dr Beau Growcott BA (Psych), GradDipPsych, MPsych (Counselling), PhD
What is suicide?
Suicide is when someone ends their own life on purpose.
How common is suicide?
More than 3,000 Australians die by suicide each year. That’s a rate of 12 suicide deaths for every 100,000 people.
Suicide is three times more common in Australian males than females, and more than half of suicide deaths are of people aged 30-59.
Suicide is the most common cause of death in Australians aged 15-44 years.
What are the risk factors for suicide?
Having thoughts of suicide, a previous suicide attempt, and telling others about intending to harm oneself are also risk factors for suicide.
Priority populations
Suicide is more common than usual in some groups of people, including LGBTQIA+ people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people who live in rural and remote areas, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and veterans.
What causes suicide?
Individual people’s reasons for suicide are specific to them. What makes some people more vulnerable to suicide than others is unknown.
What are the symptoms of suicide?
What should I do about suicide?
If you, or someone else, are at immediate risk of suicide, call 000 and ask for an ambulance.
If you are concerned about your risk of suicide, get help as soon as possible from a doctor, counsellor or psychologist, or a helpline such as:
Helplines are quick and free and provide support from qualified professionals.
A suicide safety plan can help keep you safe if you’re feeling suicidal. The plan should have a list of:
Many people who attempt suicide do so impulsively; they act within only a minute or hours after making their decision. Most people who survive a suicide attempt do not die from suicide in the future. These factors suggest that, if people are able to avoid acting on their suicidal feelings, they will survive in the long term.
