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

Suicide in rural and remote areas of Australia 65
manager thought the deceased generally took his
medication but prior to his death, “he just threw
everything out the window... nothing was working,
he just wanted to kill himself”.
The deceased had previously attempted suicide
more than three times. He had used different
methods for these attempts including motor-vehicle
accident, fi rearm and hanging. The deceased also
threatened suicide once a week; when he was
drunk, he would call his mother threatening to hang
himself. He also kept a diary where he talked about
his suicidal thoughts and expressed what he wanted
done with his money after his death. His suicidal
ideation often led to self-harm. On the day he died,
the deceased returned from a GP’s appointment
concerning an unrelated health enquiry. He took the
car and told his mother he was going to the beach.
The deceased’s psychiatrist “was always uneasy
about him” and was not surprised at his suicide. His
mother felt “he was fi nally at peace”.
Case Study 4: Indigenous Male
The deceased was an Indigenous man who was in
his thirties when he hung himself near his home. At
the time of his death, he was living with his de facto
partner; he had two biological children and one
stepchild. He had not completed a Year 10-level of
education; while he had worked as a seasonal fruitpicker,
the deceased was unemployed at the time of
his death. He had spent time in a correctional centre
for unpaid debts. Psychological autopsy interviews
were conducted with his de facto partner and the
manager of the rehabilitation centre.
The deceased signifi cantly abused alcohol. He
would start drinking at four in the morning and
continue until midnight; in the last fi ve months of
his life, he stopped doing any other activities. He
had problems with his liver, a rash over parts of his
body as he had stopped bathing, and problems with
his memory; all of which were alcohol-related. He
had stopped sleeping and “lost a lot of weight”. As
well as suffering many minor injuries, the deceased
was hospitalised after suffering two alcoholrelated
seizures but “discharged himself” as soon
as possible. His alcohol abuse also affected his
employment; he had been unemployed for fi ve
months at the time of his death and would miss
interviews. As a result, he was placed in a personal
support program. The deceased had tried to stop
drinking before but had never been successful
for more than a year. When the deceased wasn’t
drinking, his “mood got better... [he was] very well”.
Yet, he “didn’t drink much on the day of his death”.
The deceased’s children, and other family members,
mentioned his alcohol use to his partner; however,
it appeared that some “people would think he was
OK but she knew differently”. The deceased’s
alcoholism negatively impacted on his relationship
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