National Suicide and Self-Harm Monitoring System

About the system

The system collects information on suicide and self-harm. It is helping us get a comprehensive, up-to-date, national view of suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behaviours.

The insights we gain from the system will:

inform national policy to reduce suicide and self-harm
identify information gaps at the state and national level
highlight emerging trends
identify vulnerable at-risk groups in our community.

The system forms part of our response to the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.

Why it is important

Suicide is the number one cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 49 years. It is the third leading cause of premature death from injury or disease.

Suicide and self-harm rates are disproportionally higher among some groups, including:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
people living in remote areas
males.

Goals

The system aims to strengthen our knowledge and understanding of suicide and self-harm, including at-risk groups and regions. This will help us:

develop relevant and effective suicide prevention policies, programs and interventions
deliver tailored services that meet the individual needs of individuals and groups who need support
reduce the rates of suicide and self-harm in Australia
track our progress over time.

Meeting our goals

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare analyses and releases freely available national and state-level data and insights based on the information collected.

A stronger understanding of the nature and extent of suicide and self-harm will help us in our national efforts to reduce suicide and self-harm.

Who we work with

We work with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Mental Health Commission to link existing data collections – such as from ambulance crews and hospital emergency departments.