A BIG boost in funding to suicide prevention service Lifeline “will save lives” according to the organisation, as Australia battles to address rapidly growing mental health needs.
Suicide is the biggest single cause of death amongst Australian men under the age of 44.
In the latest budget, Lifeline is to receive an additional $52.3 million over the next four years to boost its around-the-clock crisis support via phone, text and webchat.
“It is absolutely essential that we ensure our services have the resources they need to help all Australians who need us… this contribution from the government will save lives,” Lifeline CEO Colin Seery said.
The number of phone calls and digital contacts received by Lifeline remains well above the volume of calls before the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the reasons the national organisation has been included in the government’s efforts to reduce the stigma of mental ill-health and suicidality and improve accessibility of services.
“Evidence and experience demonstrate the impact of successive disasters, such as we have seen with bushfires, COVID, droughts and floods is compounding and long-lasting,” Mr Seery said.
“Calls to Lifeline reached historic highs during the peaks of the pandemic and continue to remain high compared to where we were two years ago.
“But that doesn’t just mean that more people are finding themselves in crisis, it also means that more people are reaching out for and getting the help they need when they need it, and that’s the crucial first step that can make all the difference.”
The latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows a rise in the use of mental health services and an increase in psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However the data does not provide evidence that COVID-19 has been associated with a rise in suspected deaths by suicide in 2020 and 2021. Based on police reports and other available information submitted to coroners, the numbers of deaths in 2020 and 2021 suspected to be from suicide are similar to previous years.
There are currently about nine suicides per day, with males three to four times more likely than females to take their own life.
So far in 2022, Lifeline has averaged more than 3,100 calls each day.
The funding boost will help Lifeline answer an extra 176,000 calls or texts in the next year – just under 4,000 each day.
Also announced in the budget is $260 million to boost mental health support for young people.
