Caution: Some people may find parts of this content confronting or distressing.
If affected in any way, please contact Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636, Lifeline 13 11 14 or seek help from these other helplines.
NSW Health acknowledges that behind the data are people deeply affected by suicide.
The NSW Suicide Monitoring System reports on suicides in NSW. It includes data on suspected and confirmed suicides.
Working together on this system are:
The data allows communities, local organisations and government agencies to assess and respond to suicide more quickly and effectively.
All suicides and suspected suicides are reported by Police to the State Coroner. The Coroner conducts a detailed enquiry to determine whether or not the manner of death is suicide.
Data of suicides and suspected suicides is collected from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice’s information system. The data about suspected suicides is an estimate.
NSW Suicide Monitoring reports are published about eight weeks from the last day of the reporting month. This time allows for processing, validation and updating of data and preparation of reports and approvals.
The NSW Suicide Monitoring System was established in October 2020. The initiative aims to improve the quality and integration of suicide-related data across NSW.
NSW Health continues to work with stakeholders to produce monthly NSW Suicide Monitoring System Reports that can help communities, local organisations and government agencies respond to suicide more effectively.
The data for suicide deaths may vary from month to month, particularly when examining sub groups or smaller regions.
Caution is advised against over-interpretation of suicide trends using monthly data alone.
NSW Health advises all local planning be based on robust, long-term data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics or the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
NSW Health supports the use of the Mindframe guidelines on responsible, accurate and safe suicide reporting. Please consider these guidelines when reporting on data from the NSW Suicide Monitoring System.
