Youth suicide ‘preventable’
Professor backs call for better support
THE father of a teenage boy from Taroona who apparently took his own life says he won’t have closure until Tasmania has a dedicated adolescent mental health facility.
Liam Mead, 16, died in March 2017 — two days after he was discharged from a private mental health clinic in Melbourne and returned home, an inquest in Hobart heard.
Liam’s mother, GP Juliet Lavers, died a year ago today with “inconsolable pain” and after campaigning for years to improve youth mental health services in Tasmania.
“I don’t want to see what I went through happen to other families,” Ted Mead said yesterday, as an inquest into his son’s death resumed after a nine-month delay.
“Of course it was preventable. We weren’t given enough advice to prevent such an incident.
“I don’t think there’s going to be closure for me until I see an adolescent mental health care facility in Tasmania.”
The inquest began in May last year, but was delayed while Coroner Ken Stanton ruled over what evidence he would hear from youth mental health expert Patrick McGorry.
Yesterday, Professor McGorry gave evidence in the Coroners Court via video link from Melbourne, noting the mental health system in every state of Australia was “on its knees”. He said the health system was not properly funded or resourced to stop youth suicide — which he said was fully preventable.
Prof McGorry said the highest risk period was 24 to 48 hours after being discharged from hospitalisation or care — and that needed to be better managed with professional and peer support.
“If they’re cared for during that period of risk, they will all survive,” he said.
Prof McGorry’s input came after Tasmanian Health Service’s lawyer Paul Turner last year argued the inquest should not hear evidence about the adequacy of adolescent mental health services in the state’s public health system.
Mr Mead said he was “livid and appalled” at the government attempting “to stymie due process”.
“Liam was a beautiful child, he was a gifted child, and this should never have happened,” Mr Mead said. The inquest will resume at a later date.