Suicide is the leading cause of death for males aged 25–44 years and females aged 25–34 years. Most deaths by suicide are among people of working age.
Work is a major part of our daily lives. World Health Organisation suggests that adults spend about one third of their waking hours at work. While participation in meaningful work contributes to mental well-being there are a range of factors relating to work settings and work design that can increase vulnerability to mental disorders and suicide risk.
Despite suicide being mostly preventable, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the relationship between work and suicide, limiting prevention efforts.
To improve understanding in this area, Suicide Prevention Australia has recently launched a position statement on work and suicide prevention. The paper calls for urgent action in a number of areas and for workplace policies and programs that promote a mentally healthy workforce and prevent suicide behaviours. The Work and Suicide Prevention Position Statement is available from the Suicide Prevention Australia website.
Practical support and resources to deal with depression and anxiety in the workplace are available from beyondblue. These include:
- the National Workplace Program that provides a series of face-to-face workshops
- workplace eLearning resources that offer practical strategies to support individuals and promote mental health in the workplace.
You can also read about the Queensland Mental Health Commission's strategies that support suicide prevention.
