SUICIDE in RURAL & REMOTE AREAS of AUSTRALIA - Living is for ...

Suicide in rural and remote areas of Australia 17
allocations, delaying health check ups and generally
focusing far more on family health matters than their
own” (Alston, 2010, p. 4). It is clear that further
examination of help-seeking behaviours in rural
Australia, including the types of help sought and
their appropriateness and quality, is important for
future research.
Mental Illness
Arguably connected to the lack of help-seeking
is the perception that there is less diagnosed
mental illness connected to suicide in rural areas
(Judd et al, 2006b); however, the accuracy of this
perception is uncertain (Ellis & Philip, 2010; Judd
et al, 2002; Taylor et al, 2005b). Connected to
help-seeking, research has found a strong stigma
attached to a diagnosis of mental illness in rural
communities (Bourke, 2003; Caldwell et al, 2004;
Hirsch, 2006; Judd et al, 2006b; Malcolm, 2002,
2000). A diagnosis can be shameful, a sign of
weakness. Further, a diagnosis of mental illness,
especially depression, is perceived to be strongly
linked to suicide which only serves to compound the
stigma, even among young people (Bourke, 2003).
Just as women may be more likely to seek help, so
they also tend to have better mental health literacy
and so may be more articulate in their help-seeking
(Caldwell et al, 2004). On the other hand, men may
be more likely to articulate symptoms of depression
in terms of physical ailments, such as sleeplessness
(Alston, 2010; Sartore et al, 2007); some may admit
to ‘stress’ but nothing more (Alston & Kent, 2008).
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