The fundamental underpinning of all MAID requests is supposed to be the presence of an incurable medical condition, but it’s not possible to predict that a mental illness will not improve.
Financial hardships in particular are likely to lead to ongoing mental health problems, even as the pandemic subsides. Our program could help many people whose mental health has suffered during COVID.
Like a Rorschach test, the incident offers limitless interpretations. But newly published photographs of Yukio Mishima in his final weeks alive show an artist obsessed with scripting out death.
Drugs like ketamine can relieve depression symptoms, including suicidal thoughts, within hours, but they also carry risks that patients need to understand.
In response to the many Victorians struggling with coronavirus and related restrictions, the Victorian government is investing nearly A$60 million in new and accelerated mental health initiatives.
The new Victoria lockdown will bring greater levels of uncertainty about jobs and prolonged social disconnection. We need rapid action to fix the mental health system to meet the demand for help.
For Black youth, death by suicide has become a leading cause of death. And they face social problems that give rise to depression and isolation that their white counterparts do not.
The mental health impact from the coronavirus pandemic is likely to be significant. But putting a figure on the projected increase in suicides may not be accurate – and is unlikely to be helpful.
The U.S. suicide rate has been increasing for decades. According to a sociologist who studies suicide, depression is just one factor among many implicated social conditions.
Principal Research Fellow, Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, National Centre of Excellence in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University