Page 58 - JCBP-3-1

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
Bridging the gap: Policy recommendations to

address suicides committed by Indigenous
youth in Victoria

Sheikh Shoib 1,2,3 , Soumitra Das 4 , Fahimeh Saeed 5 , Miyuru Chandradasa 6 ,
7
and Ilham Zaidi *
1 Department of Psychiatry, DH Pulwama, Kashmir, India
2 Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
3 Mind Wellness Center, Nawab Bazar Srinagar, India
4 Department of Emergency, Sunshine Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
5 Psychosis Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
6 Department of Psychiatry, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri Lanka
7 Department of Public Health, International Society for Chronic Illnesses, New Delhi, India

Abstract

The Aboriginal population comprises 3.3% of the total Australian population,
and youth represent 19% of this segment. In general, the Aboriginal inhabitants
of Australia experience discrimination, limited access to education, and low
*Corresponding author:
Ilham Zaidi socioeconomic conditions, and exhibit high mental disorder rates. The rate of suicide
(ilhamasgher@gmail.com) attempts by the Indigenous people of Victoria increased by 75% in 2021. This study
examined the possible risk factors associated with suicides committed by Indigenous
Citation: Shoib S, Das S, Saeed F,
Chandradasa M, Zaidi I. Bridging youth in Victoria. It focused on the health profiles of Victorian Aboriginal individuals,
the gap: Policy recommendations identified stakeholders who could help improve their mental well-being, addressed
to address suicides committed by the needs and issues related to Aboriginal mental health, and examined substance
Indigenous youth in Victoria. J Clin
Basic Psychosom. 2025;3(1):52-58. abuse in this population segment. Finally, recommendations are offered to mitigate
doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4217 the studied problem. Rising suicide rates represent an urgent concern because they
Received: July 11, 2024 reflect the diminished mental health conditions of a society, particularly among its
marginalized populations. It is crucial to develop an integrated suicide prevention
1st revised: November 6, 2024
act that takes into account the biological, psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual
2nd revised: November 20, 2024 determinants of this population.
Accepted: December 2, 2024
Published Online: December 30, Keywords: Suicide; Mental health; Youth; Aborigine; Victoria; Australia
2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the 1. Introduction
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, As per the 2016 census, 0.9% of the Victorian population identifies as Aboriginal in origin.
and reproduction in any medium, The Aboriginal people represent 3.3% of the total Australian population, and youth aged
provided the original work is
1
properly cited. between 15 and 24 years form approximately 19% of this segment. The education levels
of Indigenous Victorians are improving, but their incomes and quality of life remain low
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with compared to the non-Indigenous population and require further enhancement. 1
regard to jurisdictional claims in 2
published maps and institutional The perception of discrimination and inequity is high among Indigenous Australians.
affiliations. According to “The Youth Survey 2019,” half of the surveyed Aboriginal youth were

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2025) 52 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4217