Men Aged 45-49 Have The Second Highest Suicide Rate In Australia
A couple of weeks ago, I was having breakfast at a cafe in Albert Park.
I don’t usually read the paper, but today I went all out.
I’m glad I did.
I expect like most of us who ‘read’ the paper, I was flicking through the pages looking at the pictures and reading the main ‘outrageous’ headlines.
But during a brief flick of a page, a picture of adventurer Bear Grylls stood out to me.
I used to watch Bear’s survival videos as a kid so I was keen to read what he was saying.
In the article, he was promoting men’s health.
I thought “good on you, Bear.”
But then I read an alarming paragraph on suicide:
“Three quarters of all deaths by suicide are men, according to our Bureau of Statistics, which is three times more than the rate for women. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for our blokes aged 15 to 45, though those aged 45 to 49 have the highest suicide death rate of any age under 80. Our ambulances respond to almost 17,000 calls each year from males experiencing suicidal ideation. Calling it a crisis is an understatement.”
- I looked up the paper article and found it online at Bodyandsoul.com.au. Its called Why Bear Grylls wants men to cry more
I was shocked.
I thought to myself “shit, this is the men in midlife that I work with.”
I needed to dig deeper and go to the source to see the evidence from the Bureau of Statistics myself.
4 minute read.
Suicide Support Services, 24 hours, 7 days
Some details in this blog may cause distress. Services you can contact are detailed below.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978
Kids Helpline (for young people aged 5 to 25 years): 1800 551 800
StandBy - Support After Suicide: 1300 727 247
National Alcohol and Other Drugs Hotline: 1800 250 015
For further information see Crisis support services.
Men Aged 45-49 Have The ‘Second’ Highest Suicide Rate in Australia
I got online and did what anyone else would do, googled: “highest suicide rates in Australia.”
I found the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on suicide in Australia.
The paper was right.
Here is the exact word for word extract from the ABS on suicide in Australia for 2022 with my commentary in bracketed italics. These ABS stats were also duplicated on Suicide Prevention Australia Website.
Total Suicide Deaths In Australia 2022
In 2022, 3,249 people died by suicide. [To put this number in perspective, in 2022, there were 1,194 road crash deaths in Australia (Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE). So, people dying by suicide in Australia is almost three times hirer than the number of deaths from motor vehicle accidents].
Consistent with previous years, males are around 3 times more likely to die by suicide than females. Males accounted for 75.6% of deaths by suicide (2,455 deaths), while females accounted for 24.4% (794 deaths). Suicide in men was the 11th leading cause of death.
Suicide In Men in Australia 2022
In 2022, males aged over 85 years:
• Had the highest age-specific suicide rate (32.7 per 100,000).
• Accounted for 2.9% of suicides of males.
In 2022, males aged between 45-49 years:
• Had the highest age-specific suicide rate of those aged ‘under 85 years’ (32.6 per 100,000).
• Accounted for the largest proportion deaths due to suicide (10.7%).
• The median age at death for those who died by suicide was 46.0 years.
• Between 2021 and 2022: Males aged between 45-49 years had the largest increase in their age-specific suicide rate (up 9.4 deaths per 100,000).
Here’s The Gist of It
Men aged 85+ have the highest suicide rates in Australia
It turns out that the paper (and other websites) write their articles in a way that ignores the old guys. They only mention suicide under 80 years. But it in fact, males aged over 85 years have the highest rate of suicide in Australia. The graph below shows male age specific suicide rates in 2021 and 2022. As you can see for this older population, the suicide rate climbs and peaks from 80 years onwards.
Men aged 45-49 have the second highest suicide rates in Australia
In the midlife range, the suicide rate increase from ages 40-44, peaks at 45-49, then dips again at 50-54, and continues down from 55-59 onwards, until a peak again at 80+. The graph does display evidence that there is midlife peak (from 40-54) for suicide in men. I’m shocked to think that the blokes I work with every day are at a higher risk of suicide. I’m still speechless at the thought of it. And people say the midlife crisis doesn’t exist for men!
Another interesting observation is that from 2021 to 2022 there is an increase in suicide in men for the age groups 40-44, 45-49, but 50-54 has remained constant. I wonder what happened to increase suicides in midlife between 2021 and 2022. Could this be a COVID thing?
Newsflash: England Are the Same
I wanted to check out the stats for the motherland, England.
Again I googled: “highest suicide rates in England.”
I found the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on suicide in England.
Here is the exact word for word extract from the ONS on suicide in England for 2022.
Total Suicide Deaths In England 2022
In 2022, there were 5,642 suicides registered in England and Wales (10.7 deaths per 100,000 people). Around three-quarters of suicides registered in 2022 were males (4,179 deaths; 74.1%), equivalent to 16.4 deaths per 100,000.
Suicide In Men in England 2022
Among males, the age-specific rate was highest in those aged 90 years or over (32.1 deaths per 100,000), followed by those aged 45 to 49 (23.0 deaths per 100,000).
Australia and England Have Exactly The Same Patterns
The highest suicide rates are men aged 85+ (Australia was 85+, England was 90+).
The second highest suicide rates for both Australia and England are men aged 45-49
Three quarters of all suicides are men (Australia was 75.6%, England was 74.1%).
These same patterns exist on different sides of the world.
It’s not just Australia, or a single location thing. It’s universal.
The questions I have are:
What happens to men in midlife aged 45-49?
Many men aged 80+ prefer to complete suicide that to die of natural causes. It makes me wonder why? What happens to men aged 80+?
Why do men complete suicide at three times the rate of women?
I’m going to have a crack at question 1.
Why do Men in Midlife aged 45-49 Complete Suicide?
The ABS answer this question by looking at “risk factors.”
“For suicide, a risk factor could be one of many factors including mental health conditions, lifestyle factors, or chronic diseases that can interact and increase the "risk" of suicide.”
“Circumstances relating to a suicide are complex and multifaceted. Often, it is the combination of multiple factors rather than a single reason that contribute to a person dying by suicide. Risk factors should not be considered in isolation.”
Doing my best to interpret the ABS stats, generally the top “risk factors” (in order) for men in midlife aged 45-49 are:
Depression or other diagnosed mood disorder. Mood disorders (including depression) were the most common risk factor. These were present in over one-third (35-38%) of suicides.
Problems in spousal relationships circumstances. These were present in one-quarter to one-third (25-36%) of suicides. This can include separation and divorce as well as arguments and domestic violence situations.
Suicidal ideation (suicidal thoughts) was a risk factor in one-quarter (24-26%) of suicides.
Personal history of self-harm was a risk factor in nearly one-fifth (15-21%) of suicides.
Alcohol use was a risk factor in nearly one-fifth (18-19%) of suicides.
Anxiety and stress were a risk factor in 16% of suicides.
Problems related to employment and unemployment were a risk factor in 12-16% of suicides.
So, it seems like depression (1) and spousal relationship problems (2) are the top reasons why men in midlife aged 45-49 complete suicide. Add in the stress and anxiety (6) of work-related problems (7) at that age, maybe coping with alcohol (5) and suicidal ideation (3) and you have a melting pot of problems across someone’s life where maybe they feel the only way out is suicide.
It’s Likely Everyone to Some Degree or Another Has Been Touched by an Attempted Suicide or a Completed Suicide Story
Here’s mine.
My dad attempted suicide twice. Once when I was 4 (he was aged 30) and again when I was 9 (he was aged 35). Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. His dad, my grandfather, completed suicide when I was 5. I’m estimating he would have been 55-60 years old at the time.
This is why suicide and men’s mental health struggles are close to my heart.
They’ve formed who I am.
I’m lucky my dad is still here. He’s a real-life guide and teacher on attempted suicides, mental health struggles, and the resilience it takes to overcome both.
The story of my dad and I is like fuel. It gives me the inspiration and motivation to help other men in midlife, in the hope that, men don’t have to go through the pain my dad did, and their kids don’t have to go through the pain that I did.
