Complexity of youth suicide and implications for health services

Every publication addressing suicide, particularly youth suicide, starts with the “alarming statistics”—often in the form of the absolute numbers of deaths or the ranking of suicide as the cause of death. While youth suicide rates may not be significantly higher than those for older age groups, suicide is a leading cause of death among younger Australians and has become a focus of research and policy aimed at the worthy purpose of mitigation (Matheson, Shepherd, & Carr, 2014).