The "Before it's too late" report on early intervention programs aimed at preventing youth suicide is an important step towards to tackling one of the most serious issues facing young Australians today.

The report by the Standing Committee for Health and Ageing was released in Federal Parliament today. The report makes 10 recommendations aimed at creating a more aligned and structured national approach to suicide prevention and early intervention, raising awareness about the issue and building a coherent and true picture of what's happening in our communities.

"headspace welcomes the report and fully supports the recommendations made by the committee," the CEO of headspace, Mr Chris Tanti, said.

"We are also particularly pleased the committee has recognised the crucial role young people play in the development of early intervention strategies designed to help their peers."

One of the most significant recommendations made by the committee was a change in the way suicide data is collected so that information on culture, geography, ethnicity and employment and educational status are included.

This will give organisations such as headspace a much clearer picture of suicide and young people and help it structure programs accordingly. The cleaning up of data and ensuring consistency across states will also have a significant positive impact.

The report also recommends including mental health in the national school curriculum and specific assistance for young people in the transitional stages of their lives.

"We know that some of the biggest risk periods for young people are those moments of great upheaval - leaving school for work, moving from primary to secondary education and entering into tertiary education. These moments create great stress and anxiety, which have significant impacts on the mental wellbeing of a person," Mr Tanti said.

"The additional support and education recommended in these areas by the committee is long overdue and strongly supported by headspace."

headspace acknowledges the excellent work done by previous and past State, Territory and Federal Governments in early intervention strategies for suicide prevention.

But the duplication of programs and the lack of national coordination means these have not had the potential impact on the community they could have if a more linked up approach had been taken. The recommendation by the committee to address this is significant.

One of the most crucial recommendations is the need for a national community awareness program on suicide prevention.

"The community is ready, and has been ready for a long time, to talk openly about suicide and what we can all do to change the story," Mr Tanti said.

"While it is positive that the suicide rate has been declining, it is unacceptable that suicide is still the biggest cause of death amongst young people aged between 15 and 24. One suicide is one too many."

headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation and has centres in both regional and metropolitan Australia that offer health advice, support and information for young people. A headspace centre is:

• youth friendly
• a place where young people can seek help 
• a confidential low cost or free service.

 

headspace media contact:
Elisabeth Tuckey
Head of Corporate Affairs
Email: etuckey@headspace.org.au