Region sees spike in mental health calls
AS the region’s youth continue to learn to navigate life in unprecedented times, the impact of lockdowns and isolation on mental health has become a focal point for NSW government.
In 2020, the NSW government launched a Suicide Monitoring System in collaboration with police, NSW Ministry of Health, the State Coroner and the Department of Communities and Justice.
The system is now reporting public monthly data with respect to suicide within the state.
Ministry of Health’s Rebecca Lewis said the system is using police reports from officers who are often the first responders to a suspected suicide event, and reporting on those statistics.
“Only the coroner can make a recommendation whether someone has committed suicide or not. What we’ve learnt in other jurisdictions is using police data is a pretty good indicator of what’s going on,” Ms Lewis said.
“The Australian Health and Welfare have fabulous data imaging. We’ve been seeing some pretty distressing (statistics).
“There’s higher rates of youth presenting to our emergency departments in acute distress or they have made a suicide attempt.
“Devastatingly, it’s not unique to Australia. Self-harm and lethal selfharm are on an upward trend in the developed world and we’re not quite sure what’s driving that.”
Over the last 10 years, those trends have been driving upward, with Covid overlaying an additional level of risk and concern.
Despite the increased calls or mental health concerns, Ms Lewis said the upward trend hasn’t translated into deaths during the pandemic, instead staying within the normal fluctuation.
“That is not to say there’s not a devastating impact on families, but we’re not seeing a spike in suicide due to Covid,” she said.
“We’re seeing higher rates of help seeking through crisis lines or health care, which is awesome because it shows while in distress, people are... seeking help.
“We’re not going to understand the true extend of lockdowns and the pandemic until a couple of years have passed, particularly for people with pre-existing health conditions... where it may not come out as harmful behaviour for a number of years.
“Young people by and large are quite resilient but it goes back to making sure we’re particularly mindful of kids who were struggling prior to Covid.”