Preventing Indigenous suicidePreventing Indigenous suicide
All In The Mind
The rate of suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is double that of non-Indigenous people in Australia, and it’s reached a crisis point – particularly amongst the young. In this NAIDOC week 2020 we hear from researchers and practitioners, and those with lived experience about the best strategies to stem the tide of indigenous suicide
36:26•8 Nov 2020
Preventing Indigenous Suicide Through Culture, Community and Courage
Episode Overview
- Indigenous suicide rates in Australia are significantly higher than the general population, with many deaths among people under 35.
- Drugs, alcohol and relationship problems are described as symptoms, while unresolved trauma is identified as a primary cause of suicide for many Indigenous young people.
- Effective prevention is linked to self-determination and culturally appropriate, Aboriginal-controlled services rather than mainstream systems alone.
- Postvention support for families and communities after a suicide is crucial to reduce further deaths and help people manage overwhelming grief and guilt.
- Lived experience, like that shared by Rowena Cox, can drive powerful community initiatives such as local sports teams that build pride, connection and open conversation about suicide prevention.
“"If I can get help and be where I am now, I mean, anyone can do it."”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction, trauma and loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities? This episode of All In The Mind turns to Indigenous experts and advocates to talk frankly about suicide, its roots, and what communities say they need. Host Lynne Malcolm brings together voices from research and lived experience.
CEO Jacqueline McGowan-Jones calls current Indigenous suicide rates "unacceptably high and a crisis for our communities", highlighting that more than half of the deaths reported to her service are under 35, some as young as nine. She stresses that alcohol and relationship problems are "symptoms rather than the causality", arguing that trauma – including removal from family, abuse, and racism – sits underneath much of the distress.
Psychologist Professor Pat Dudgeon links this crisis to colonisation, disadvantage and intergenerational grief, and pushes for self-determination: "Nothing about us without us". She argues that effective suicide prevention must be culturally grounded and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with their voices at the centre of national plans. Adjunct Professor Tracey Westerman explains why separating risk factors from true causes is vital.
Her work has produced Indigenous-specific assessment tools showing that many suicides are highly impulsive and tied to interpersonal conflict and unresolved trauma, especially attachment issues. Threaded through the research is the deeply personal story of Jaru woman Rowena Cox, who lost her 19-year-old son to suicide after his struggles with drugs, alcohol and relationships. She shares her own history of neglect, abuse, alcohol use and poverty, and how she now uses that experience in suicide prevention work in the Kimberley.
Her football team, formed in memory of her son, has become a mobile reminder that community pride and connection can be part of keeping young people alive. If you're interested in how culturally strong, community-led approaches can address suicide and substance use together, this episode gives you a lot to think about – and plenty of reasons to keep the conversation going.
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