Victoria’s coroner alarmed by marked rise in youth suicides

Thirteen young people killed themselves in first three months of 2023, as coroner urges parents and friends to help young people stay connected and supported

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Thirteen young Victorians have killed themselves in the first three months of 2023, with the state’s coroner saying the community needs to do more to intervene.

In figures released by the coroners court on Wednesday, nine of the 13 deaths were males and four were females between the ages of 13 and 17 years old.

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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 988 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org