❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks updated suicide statistics for individuals recently discharged from mental health facilities. The Minister's response clarifies data limitations and provides figures for a specific period, highlighting reporting caveats.
AnsweredQoN 3323Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
The 2012 Stokes Review investigated 255 suicides and determined that 15 percent of men and 20 percent of women who took their own lives in Western Australia died within 24 hours of being discharged from a mental health facility and that one third took their own lives within a month, and I ask: (a) can the Minister please advise what the latest held suicide statistics are for Western Australians discharged from a mental health hospital in the day and month following this; and (b) if no to (a), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
16 September 2015
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health
Response time
35 days
(a) The question asked combines unrelated data described in the Stokes Review (2012) covering two different time periods and sources:
Page 42 of the Stokes Review (2012) refer to the 'Audit of 255 persons who suicided in WA in 2009', with data sourced from the Deputy State Coroner (2012); and
Page 39 of the Stokes Review (2012) refers to the 1986-2006 period, stating "of those who died from suicide more than one third had been admitted to a private or public mental health hospital during their lives, 15 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women completed suicide on the day of discharge, and a third within a month of discharge". This data was originally sourced from the Telethon Institute for Child Health research, WA Coroners Database on Suicide (2009 unpublished data). These 1986-2006 data must be interpreted correctly: the percentages relate to the total number of suicides following discharge from a mental health facility- they do not relate to all suicides.
The Chief Psychiatrist receives reports of notifiable clinical incidents and deaths of mental health inpatients through the WA Health electronic Datix Clinical Incident Management System (Datix CIMS). Between 1 July 2014 and 21 August 2015
[i]
of the suspected suicides reported to the Chief Psychiatrist following discharge from a mental health inpatient hospital admission there were two (2) suspected suicides within 24 hours of discharge, and, eight (8) suspected suicides from 24 hours to 28 days of discharge.
In response to the same question asked by the Honourable Member during the Mental Health Commission's Budget Estimates Hearing on 24 June 2015, I previously advised that between 1 July 2014 and 23 July 2015, there were five (5) suspected suicides within 24 hours of discharge reported to the Chief Psychiatrist. I have since been advised that on re-examination of the data, three (3) of these five (5) persons were coded as having completed suicided within 24 hours post discharge, however they were inpatients at the time and had not been discharged. These deaths have been removed from the data provided above.
(b) Not applicable.
[i]
Mental health services report deaths of mental health patients to the Chief Psychiatrist.
Mental health services may not be aware of some deaths of mental health patients occurring in the community.
The numbers of deaths reported here do not represent the true prevalence of suicide in WA between 1 July 2014 and 21 August 2015- please seek coronial advice on this matter.
Suspected suicide cases are reported to the Chief Psychiatrist.
The cause of death reported here reflects the probable cause as recorded by the notifier;
The cause of death has not been determined by the Coroner;
All cases of suspected suicide or deaths of unknown cause are investigated by the Coroner and the cause of death can take up to two years to be finalised;
Some of the deaths reported as 'unknown' may be found by the Coroner to be cases of suicide
Page 42 of the Stokes Review (2012) refer to the 'Audit of 255 persons who suicided in WA in 2009', with data sourced from the Deputy State Coroner (2012); and
Page 39 of the Stokes Review (2012) refers to the 1986-2006 period, stating "of those who died from suicide more than one third had been admitted to a private or public mental health hospital during their lives, 15 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women completed suicide on the day of discharge, and a third within a month of discharge". This data was originally sourced from the Telethon Institute for Child Health research, WA Coroners Database on Suicide (2009 unpublished data). These 1986-2006 data must be interpreted correctly: the percentages relate to the total number of suicides following discharge from a mental health facility- they do not relate to all suicides.
The Chief Psychiatrist receives reports of notifiable clinical incidents and deaths of mental health inpatients through the WA Health electronic Datix Clinical Incident Management System (Datix CIMS). Between 1 July 2014 and 21 August 2015
[i]
of the suspected suicides reported to the Chief Psychiatrist following discharge from a mental health inpatient hospital admission there were two (2) suspected suicides within 24 hours of discharge, and, eight (8) suspected suicides from 24 hours to 28 days of discharge.
In response to the same question asked by the Honourable Member during the Mental Health Commission's Budget Estimates Hearing on 24 June 2015, I previously advised that between 1 July 2014 and 23 July 2015, there were five (5) suspected suicides within 24 hours of discharge reported to the Chief Psychiatrist. I have since been advised that on re-examination of the data, three (3) of these five (5) persons were coded as having completed suicided within 24 hours post discharge, however they were inpatients at the time and had not been discharged. These deaths have been removed from the data provided above.
(b) Not applicable.
[i]
Mental health services report deaths of mental health patients to the Chief Psychiatrist.
Mental health services may not be aware of some deaths of mental health patients occurring in the community.
The numbers of deaths reported here do not represent the true prevalence of suicide in WA between 1 July 2014 and 21 August 2015- please seek coronial advice on this matter.
Suspected suicide cases are reported to the Chief Psychiatrist.
The cause of death reported here reflects the probable cause as recorded by the notifier;
The cause of death has not been determined by the Coroner;
All cases of suspected suicide or deaths of unknown cause are investigated by the Coroner and the cause of death can take up to two years to be finalised;
Some of the deaths reported as 'unknown' may be found by the Coroner to be cases of suicide
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