Are people in regional and remote areas at greater risk of intentional self-harm hospitalisations?
In 2022–23:
- residents of Very remote areas recorded a rate of 169 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, close to twice that of residents of Major cities, which recorded the lowest rate (89 hospitalisations per 100,000 population)
- Over two-thirds of intentional self-harm hospitalisations were residents of Major cities (68%)
- young people aged 15–19 had the highest rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations in each remoteness area, with the exception of Very remote for which 20–24 year olds had the highest rate
- the highest rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations overall was in the 20–24 age group in Very remote areas (435 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), followed by 15-19 year olds in Remote areas (417).
A similar pattern was seen with deaths by suicide as age-standardised suicide rates tended to increase with remoteness of place of residence see Suicide by remoteness areas.
How have rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations changed for remoteness areas?
Between 2012–13 and 2022–23:
- overall rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations increased in Very remote areas from 2012–13 to 2021–22 (from 172 to 193 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) before falling to 159 in 2022–23
- rates fell in Inner regional areas (from 125 to 88, and Major cities (111 to 89) over this period while rates initially increased in Outer regional areas from 136 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2012–13 to 170 in 2016–17, and then steadily decreased to 122 in 2022–23
- the highest increases in rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations occurred in those aged 35–39 in Very remote areas (256 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2012–13 to 356 in 2022–23
- the largest decrease in rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations was among the 35–39-year-old age group in Outer regional areas (from 256 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2012–13 to 145 in 2022–23).
