Suicide prevention and mental health in the ADF

Suicide prevention in the Australian Defence Force

The death of Australian Defence Force (ADF) members by suicide is deeply felt across the Defence community. Thoughts are with the families, friends, teammates and colleagues of those who have died by suicide.

Suicide, suicide attempts and self-harm behaviours are serious, complex and confronting issues.

Preventing suicide requires a comprehensive, co-ordinated approach to addressing the many factors that contribute to people dying by suicide. Defence is dedicated to doing better for Defence ADF members and their families.

The seventh annual report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members who have served since 1985: suicide monitoring 1997 to 2022 (the 2024 Report), was publicly released on 24 September 2024.

The 2024 Report’s findings, together with the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide's final report, will help Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs better target support efforts.

Defence is dedicated to remedying the identified issues. This data is also shaping and further informing Defence suicide prevention efforts and programs. It will enable Defence to drive significant reform across the organisation.

Addressing these complex issues will require strong leadership at every level.

Supporting ADF mental health and wellbeing

Defence acknowledges that suicide is preventable. Therefore, Defence will train personnel at all organisational levels to identify when a peer requires support and to provide a compassionate response.

A comprehensive support system will ensure ADF personnel have access to the right support at the right time, especially those who are vulnerable or at risk.

Anyone needing assistance across Defence is encouraged to access informal and formal support. This includes:

• ADF personnel
• Australian Public Service (APS) staff
• Defence contractors and consultants
• families of the above.

They can also speak to a trusted support person such as a friend, family member, commander, supervisor or colleague.

Support provided by Defence

Defence provides ADF personnel mental health services through on-base clinicians, referral to off-base psychologists and psychiatrists, and also through telehealth.

On-base services include general practitioners, psychologists and other mental health practitioners.

ADF personnel can attend these services and ask for help or support. They will be assessed and connected with the care they need.

Support is also available through the chain of command or supervisors.

Support is available via:

• Crisis support, including the Defence All-hours Support Line (1800 628 036) where ADF members can seek psychological support
• Support services
• ADF programs
• Online mental health tools.

Key findings of the 2024 Report

The key findings of the 2024 Report include:

• Between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2022, there were 1,763 certified deaths by suicide among current and ex-serving ADF personnel who had completed at least one day of service between 1 January 1985 and 31 December 2022.
• Over the same period, there were 69,024 suicides among the Australian population as a whole.
• In 2022, there were 71 deaths by suicide among permanent, reserve and ex-serving ADF personnel, including:
  • 13 deaths by suicide among permanent and reserve ADF personnel
  • 58 deaths by suicide among ex-serving ADF personnel.
• Suicide rates for full-time and part-time serving males are approximately half that of Australian males in the wider community.
• Ex-serving males who separate from the ADF voluntarily or for administrative reasons have a similar suicide rate to age-matched Australian males.
• Ex-serving males who transition out of the ADF involuntarily for medical or other reasons have an increased risk of suicide compared to age-matched Australian males.
• There was no difference between the rate of suicide for full-time and part-time ADF females compared to age-matched Australian females.*
• The rate of suicide for ex-serving females is twice as high as the rate reported by age-matched Australian females.*

^{*The 2024 Report notes that the female ADF cohort is smaller than the male ADF cohort. Suicide rates for females in the Australian population are also generally lower. As smaller populations reduce data accuracy, caution should be taken in interpreting the data.}

Rates of suicide by service status

The 2024 Report gave rates of suicide per 100,000 population per year between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2022. These rates include members with at least one day of service between 1 January 1985 and 31 December 2022.

^{*These suicide rates should be interpreted with caution as the number of suicides is fewer than 20.}

Source: Serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members who have served since 1985: suicide monitoring 1997 to 2022.

Rates of suicide by reason for separation

The 2024 Report gave rates of suicide per 100,000 population per year between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2022. These rates include personnel with at least one day of service between 1 January 1985 and 31 December 2022 who left the ADF from 1 January 2003 onwards.

^{* These suicide rates should be interpreted with caution as the number of suicides is fewer than 20.}

Source: Serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members who have served since 1985: suicide monitoring 1997 to 2022.