Aboriginal Suicide In Australia

330 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Aboriginal and mental health essay

Indigenous Suicide – A Public Health Issue Between 2001-2010 the suicide rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were twice that of non-Indigenous people.1 These high rates are attributed to social, economic and historic determinants that impact on the emotional and social wellbeing and mental health of Indigenous people.2 Suicide is a tragic endpoint, not only affecting the individual but also the whole extended family and ongoing repercussions of the Indigenous community.3 Culturally appropriate interventions can be achieved by acknowledging the implications of colonialisation and the ongoing impacts of intergenerational trauma on Australia’s Indigenous population.4 It is important from a public health perspective to develop

Show More
Related

  • Aboriginal

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    Residential schools undoubtedly created detrimental inter-generational consequences. The dark legacy of residential schools has had enduring impact, reaching into each new generation, and has led to countless problems within Aboriginal families including: chemical dependence, a cycle of abuse in families, dysfunctional families, crime and incarceration, depression, grief, suicide, and cultural identity issues (McFarlan, 2000, p. 13). Therefore, the inter-generational consequence...

    Read More

  • Emile Durkheim's Aboriginal Suicide: A Different Perspective

    290 Words  | 1 Pages

    Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist born in 1858, was a man on the leading edge of sociology in his time, but do his theories still hold up today? In 1897, he studied the French public records regarding suicides, and made some interesting connections. He found that people with a weaker connection to their community or family were more likely to commit suicide then those who had stronger ties in their social group. For instance, those who were married were less likely to end their lives than those who were single. A surprising example however would be that the wealthy had a much higher rate of suicide then the poor. Durkheim attributed this to the isolated and centric nature of wealthy members

    Read More

  • How The Aboriginal Assimilation

    1366 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin with, once the policy of assimilation came into effect, Aboriginals were subject to a new environment, resulting in the loss of their culture. It is due to this, that the rates of suicide for First Na...

    Read More

  • Indigenous Mental Health Issues

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    Definition: Mental health has become a pressing issue in Indigenous communities. Often, a combination of trauma, a lack of accessible health resources, substance abuse, violence, and socioeconomic situations lead to high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in Indigenous Peoples. This crisis is especially apparent in Indigenous youth, where there is a growing suicide epidemic but little mental health support and resources are provided. The increase in stigmatized and untreated mental illness has continued as trauma and systemic injustices remain unaddressed. Indigenous groups, governmental parties, and health organizations are involved.

    Read More

  • Health Disparities Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are significant health disparities that exist between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. Being an Indigenous Australian means the person is and identifies as an Indigenous Australian, acknowledges their Indigenous heritage and is accepted as such in the community they live in (Daly, Speedy, & Jackson, 2010). Compared with Non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people die at much younger ages, have more disability and experience a reduced quality of life because of ill health. This difference in health status is why Indigenous Australians health is often described as “Third World health in a First World nation” (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall, & Bailie, 2007, p.xxi). Aboriginal health care in the present and future should encompass a holistic approach which includes social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing in order to be culturally suitable to improve Indigenous Health. There are three dimensions of health- physical, social and mental- that all interrelate to determine an individual’s overall health. If one of these dimensions is compromised, it affects how the other two dimensions function, and overall affects an individual’s health status. The social determinants of health are conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age which includes education, economics, social gradient, stress, early life, social inclusion, employment, transport, food, and social supports (Gruis, 2014). The social determinants that are specifically negatively impacting on Indigenous Australians health include poverty, social class, racism, education, employment, country/land and housing (Isaacs, 2014). If these social determinants inequalities are remedied, Indigenous Australians will have the same opportunities as Non-Ind...

    Read More

  • Essay On Aboriginal Health

    2026 Words  | 5 Pages

    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have some of the worst health outcomes in comparison to any other indigenous community in the world (AIHW, 2011). According to United Nations official Anand Grover, Aboriginal health conditions are even worse than some Third World countries (Arup & Sharp, 2009), which is astonishing, considering Australia is one of the worlds wealthiest countries. Thoroughly identifying the causes and analysing every aspect behind poor health of indigenous Australians, and Australian health in general, is near impossible due to the complexity and abundant layers of this issue. Even within the category of social determinants, it is hard to distinguish just one factor, due to so many which interrelate and correspond with each other. The aim of this essay is to firstly identify and analyse components of the social determinants of health that impact the wellbeing of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, and demonstrate how they overlap with each other. By analysing the inequalities in health of Aboriginal and non-indigenous Australians, positive health interventions will then be addressed. Racism and the consequences it has on Indigenous health and wellbeing will be discussed, followed by an analysis of how and why social class and status is considered a determining factor when studying the health of the Aboriginal population. The issue relating ...

    Read More

  • Australian Indigenous Culture

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    Australian indigenous culture is the world’s oldest surviving culture, dating back sixty-thousand years. Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have been represented in a myriad of ways through various channels such as poetry, articles, and images, in both fiction and non-fiction. Over the years, they have been portrayed as inferior, oppressed, isolated, principled and admirable. Three such texts that portray them in these ways are poems Circles and Squares and Grade One Primary by Ali Cobby Eckermann, James Packer slams booing; joins three cheers for footballer and the accompanying visual text and Heywire article Family is the most important thing to an islander by Richard Barba. Even though the texts are different as ….. is/are …., while

    Read More

  • Indigenous Australian Mental Health

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since colonialism after the invasion, Australia indigenous peoples have experienced a great deal of loss of identity, loss, disempowerment, cultural alienation, grief. Many indigenous people's mental and physical health impaired. Suicide, family violence, drug abuse and unemployment rates is higher than the Australian average(Berry et al. 2012). That is complicated to contributing to develop and support sustainable mental health and social wellbeing for Australian aboriginals staying in rural areas ,related to much diversity involved in and between individuals and communities (Guerin & Guerin 2012).

    Read More

  • Distribution of Depression Amongst Young Australians

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is difficult to calculate mortality for depression as suicide can be attributed to factors other than depression, such as drug use or abuse. Depression, along with other mental health disorders, is the leading cause of disability in Australians aged 15 to 24 (AIHW, 2008). Depression and anxiety account for 17% of male disease burden and 32% of female burden in this age group (AIHW, 2008) and 24% of the burden for all Australians aged 16 to 24 (AIHW, 2011). Depression greatly affects quality of ...

    Read More

  • Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide In Australia

    497 Words  | 1 Pages

    Physician assisted suicide needs to be legalised in Australia. Why? Because of ethics law. Because of medical practices. Because of philosophy, psychology, public policy. Because of religion.

    Read More

  • Contemporary Aboriginal Issues

    2114 Words  | 5 Pages

    •     Amnesty International: Australia- governments dismissal of UN criticism undermines hard earned credibility in human rights diplomacy.

    Read More

  • Mill's Harm Principle In Contemporary Society

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Despite it being blatantly apparent in contemporary society that one individuals antecedent self-harm, can then become harm onto others. The principal doesn’t extend pass physical, and doesn’t cover the psychological and mental impact on others by way of ones actions. In one individual’s suicide many more are left in bereavement. In Australia 2,866 people died from intentional self-harm in 2016 (ABS, 2016), and it is estimated that from each case of suicide there is a network of on average 10 individuals that will enter into serious bereavement. Suicide is incredibly destructive in the psyche of survivors as its moral and cultural complexities often force suicide survivors into unhealthy psychological mourning practises. Suicide bereavement differs from other forms of bereavement due to its surrounding societal stigma. Jill Fischer a Doctor of Psychology, discusses the complexity of this guilt and how it can cause immense harm by proxy to suicide survivors. Fischer states that “chronic or complicated mourning… [are] acts of penitence and self-castigation… alleviating guilt… by causing suffering to oneself” (Fischer, 2006, 52). This heightened form of mourning is highly detrimental to suicide survivors, some recorded cases even “killing themselves” (Fischer, 2006, 51) as a guilt-driven connection between themselves and the

    Read More

  • Social Work In Australia

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dudgeon, P., Walker, R., & Milroy, H. (2014). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles (2nd ed.). Perth: Kulunga Research Network.

    Read More

  • Colonisation Of Australia Essay

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...s a way of coping with bad memories and changes in culture (Reser, 1991). Many Indigenous are still being affected by the events which unfolded long ago. Alcohol is consumed by many who are known to have mental disorders. Depression is a major issue within the aboriginal population with many suffering with factors like grief, shame, worry, homesickness, and anger due to the colonization and the way it has changed their everyday life, culture and environment (Reser).

    Read More

  • The Stolen Generation Research Paper

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    Their psychological wellbeing was never considered and there were no avenues for them to get help. It is a fact that over half of the people effected suffered loneliness, low self-esteem, and loss of identity later on in life. Most put their feelings into hate which caused problems to the society. Joy Makepeace, taken away when she was less than a years old said "I was hurting and had found no way of safely healing the pain, so I turned the pain into anger, resentment and bitterness inwards and did what many of us do, which is to punish and hurt ourselves. Despite being loved, I choose to suffer from days of depression and I couldn't see any hope in the future". So, when you see some Aboriginals undertaking criminal or bad behaviours, before you judge them because of their colour, or their heritage, consider what might be the reason behind their behaviours and how our society might have contributed to their psychological

    Read More

More about Aboriginal Suicide In Australia

Open Document