Intentional self-harm and suicide
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Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australian men aged 15-44 years. In 2021–22, among adult men in Australia, there were over 7,500 hospitalisations for intentional self-harm (a crude rate of 77 hospitalisations per 100,000 adult men), and 2,300 deaths by suicide (24 deaths per 100,000).
Overall, intentional self-harm represents 3% of all injury hospitalisations among adult men (the 7th leading cause), and suicide represents 26% of all injury related deaths among adult men (the 2nd leading cause).
Note that hospitalisations data for patients with intentional self-harm injuries includes individuals with varying degrees of suicidal intent, both those with explicit suicidal intentions and those without. For further information see Suicide & self-harm monitoring: Intentional self-harm hospitalisations.
Intentional self-harm is more likely in younger men, but suicides more likely in older men
The rate of hospitalisation due to intentional self-harm in men was highest for those aged 19 to 24, with 147 hospitalisations per 100,000 men. This crude rate generally decreased with age, increasing again in men aged 75 and over (Figure 24).
The rate of death by suicide, on the other hand, was highest in men aged 75 and over, with 26 deaths per 100,000 deaths of men in that age group. In 2021–22, the lowest rate was observed in men aged 65 to 74 (17 deaths per 100,000), followed by men aged 19–24 (19 deaths per 100,000).
Figure 24: Number and crude rate (per 100,000) of injury hospitalisations due to intentional self-harm (top) and injury deaths from suicide (bottom) in adult men, by age group, Australia, 2021-22
This is a bar chart of number and crude rates of injury hospitalisations for intentional self-harm, and injury deaths by suicide, among men in 2021-22, by age group. Rates of hospitalisations were highest in men aged 19-24, but rates of death by suicide were highest in men aged 75 and over
Notes:
- Numbers are represented by bars, rates are represented by lines.
- Rates are crude per 100,000
- Only includes hospitalisations and deaths where the patient age was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.
Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), AIHW National Mortality Database (NMD) and ABS National, state and territory population.
Methods of injury by intentional self-harm
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Understanding the methods used for intentional self-harm can play an important role in its prevention. These data are provided to inform discussion around restriction of access to means as a policy intervention for the prevention of suicide and self-harm.
Please consider your need to read the following information. If this material raises concerns for you or if you need immediate assistance, please contact a crisis support service, available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In 2021-22, almost 2 in 3 hospitalisations for intentional self-harm in adult men (65%) involved self-poisoning using pharmaceutical drugs (Table 4). The next most frequent cause of hospitalisation among men, hanging, strangulation or suffocation, accounted for 5% of total intentional self-harm hospitalisations, or 400 cases.
Over 3 in 5 deaths from suicide were however caused by hanging, strangulation or suffocation, making it the most common cause of death by suicide in men. Self-poisoning using pharmaceutical drugs, the second most common cause of death by suicide, accounted for 205 deaths, or 9% of all suicide deaths
| Number of hospitalisations | Percentage of hospitalisations (%) | Number of deaths | Percentage of deaths (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-poisoning involving pharmaceuticals (X60-X64) | 4899 | 65 | 205 | 9 |
Hanging, strangulation or suffocation | 400 | 5 | 1453 | 63 |
| Self-poisoning involving other specified and unspecified substances (X65-66, X68-69) | 306 | 4 | 30 | 1 |
| Jumping from a high place (X80) | 77 | 1 | 106 | 5 |
| Firearm discharge or explosive material (X72-X75) | 25 | 0.3 | 158 | 7 |
| Total | 7,549 | 100 | 2,300 | 100 |
Notes: other injury causes of intentional self-harm have been excluded from this table for confidentiality or other concerns, therefore values across rows may not add up to the total.
Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) and AIHW National Mortality Database (NMD).
Men living in more remote regions are more likely to be hospitalised due to intentional self-harm
The rate of injury hospitalisations from intentional self-harm in adult men increased with remoteness, ranging from 69 per 100,000 men in Major cities, to 161 per 100,000 in Very remote areas. The pattern of injury rate per age group remained similar across remoteness categories, indicating that the rate increased with remoteness for all included age groups (data has been excluded for older age categories in Remote and Very remote areas confidentiality or other concerns) (Figure 25)
Figure 25: Crude rates of injury hospitalisations due to intentional self-harm in adult men, by remoteness (left), and by remoteness and age group (right), Australia, 2021-22
This is a bar chart of rates of injury hospitalisations for intentional self-harm among men, by remoteness classification. Rates increased with remoteness overall.
Notes:
- Rates are crude per 100,000
- Data for ages 65-74 and 75+ in Remote and Very remote areas has been excluded due to small numbers.
- Only includes hospitalisations where the patient age was greater than or equal to 19, and where sex was recorded as male.
Sources: AIHW National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD) and ABS National, state and territory population.