"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

SIGN of the TIMES:Suicide numbers 'significantly under-counted'

AUSTRALIA'S suicide rate may be significantly higher than the statistics show, according to a new report which claims that flawed data is painting an incorrect picture of the nation's mental health status.A study released today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, suggests there are problems with the official Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data that have led to serious under-counting of suicides nationally.Researchers from the University of Sydney and colleagues in South Australia estimate that in Queensland in one year alone, the numbers fell short by 127 cases, due to errors in reporting. "This is very important because we need accurate figures to know if our suicide prevention initiatives are actually working and at the moment we are relying on these," said Dr Samara McPhedran, co-author of the report published in the journal Public Health."Without the right figures it's like trying to navigate around Sydney using a Melbourne street directory."When it comes to lives, we don't want to get lost."The academics reviewed ABS technical notes, and found that coroner's open verdicts have increased in recent years, leading to unintentional deaths being over-counted and suicides being under-counted.The findings also suggest unintentional firearm-related deaths may be lower than thought, but raise concerns that suicides could be higher than ABS data indicate."Last year, we found that the pre-existing downward trend in firearm suicides accelerated after the 1996 gun laws, but unintentional deaths increased," Dr McPhedran said."This seemed strange, so we took a closer look at the numbers."Data inaccuracies would affect the overall picture of Australian suicide levels, not just records of firearm-related deaths, she said.They were unable to estimate the national shortfall but independent analysis showed the ABS under-counted suicides in Queensland by 127 cases in 2004 alone.The researchers said that effective public health initiatives need to be built on accurate information."Basing policy on the wrong information is like building a house of straw and expecting it to withstand a gale," said Dr McPhedran.The authors recommend cross-checking ABS data against coronial records and revising the data where necessary.

As in the days of Noah...