Critical Health Indicator Disparity - Term Paper Example

Report-Critical health indicator disparity Name Institution Introduction Current statistical corollaries stipulate that approximately 66 percent of Australian population resides in the capital cities or the major metropolitan areas of the country. Precisely, 66 percent of the 20 million people live in the cities. Alternatively, six million people are spread out in the remote and rural areas. These demographic characteristics are accompanied by a series of socioeconomic and demographic trends. For instance, it is assumed that a particular group of people or indigenous people live in the remote areas. Further, there is a greater proportion of children than the young adults. The young adults tend to move towards the cities. The rural areas are also numerous in the rural areas than there are in the mainstream societies. The people in the rural areas are characterised by different social and economic conditions including the low level of education, and low-income levels. Concurrently, there are a series of health issues facing the people from rural or remote areas. Some of these issues bear the capacity to influence demise at significant rates. The significance of these death tolls implies that particular causes are widespread. The report intends to cover the cases of suicide affecting residents of rural areas, as compared to the people in the mainstream society (Griffiths, Christensen & Jorm, 2009). Suicide refers to the act of taking one’s life on intentional basis regardless of the cause. In Australia and other countries across the world, there are numerous cases of suicide. In fact, there are areas where suicide is considered a national disaster. The report intends to depict and establish a comparative encounter between cases of suicide in the rural areas and the mainstream or urban society. Overview of suicide in Rural/Regional/Remote communities Statistics implies that approximately two thousand Australians take their lives on an annual basis. The Australian rural regions are facing an elevating rate in death tolls associated with suicide. The groups that are registered as most vulnerable to suicide in Australian rural areas include the farmers, youth and males and indigenous people (Australian Psychological Society, 2015). Recent statistics implies that 9 percent of the youth and young adults’ deaths are associated with suicide. In terms of gender, statistics gathered from the Queensland database of 2005 and 2007 indicate that male suicide cases in the remote areas are higher than that of the males in the non-remote areas. Precisely, 36.32 per 100, 000 males in the rural areas die out of suicide as compared to 18.25 per 100, 000 in the non-remote areas (Miller & Burns, 2008). That implies that there is a formidable dominance in the rural areas as compared to the mainstream or urban population. Despite the fact that there is significantly low population of young adults in the Australian rural areas, health records imply that most cases of suicide are associated with the young adults. The adolescents are aged between 15 and 24 years of age (Caldwell, Jorm & Dear, 2007). However, suicide cases are not any good for the next age group between 25 and 44 years of age. The cases of suicide for the people in this age group are six times in the rural areas as compared to the case of urban and non-remote areas. The same case applies to the number of suicide cases of the people aged between 45 to 64 years. Most importantly, the suicide cases are most common amongst the males as compared to the cases of the females. The cases of men committing suicide in remote and non-remote areas are alarming. However, it is further alarming that men from the rural areas are committing suicide at a rate of 1.3 to 2.6 times as compared to those in urban areas (Caldwell, Jorm & Dear 2007). Most importantly, there are numerous causes of intentional death cases of suicide that are not determined. For instance, the true intent of some deaths such as drowning, overdose consumption of drugs and vehicle accidents is not easy to establish. That means that the statistics of suicide are concentrated into particular obvious cases. Thus, it becomes hard to determine. However, the recent essential research indicates that the cases of suicide are approximated to be 33 percent higher in the rural areas than urban areas. For remote areas, the rate is approximately 189 percent higher than in the urban centres. Statistics from Queensland in the year 2010 show that agricultural workers are twice likely to suffer demise out of suicide as compared to the members of the general task force in the urban centres. Most likely, farm managers tend to commit suicide in a predominant manner. Most of these farmers are aged more than 55 years (Caldwell, Jorm & Dear, 2007). The indigenous people are also characterised as potential victims of suicidal acts. The collection of reliable information with regards to the indigenous people remains complex. However, the already established findings imply that suicide cases amongst the indigenous people are four times that of the non-indigenous Australians. Thus, the male adolescents and indigenous Australians are the predominant people in Australia whose deaths are caused by suicide. Community impact Suicide is one fatal health issue that affect the social and even physical well-being of people within a society. The impacts are intensively fatal in cases where the victims are economically underprivileged. First, the suicides cause a disruption of the normal demographic characteristics of the rural areas of Australia. However, these impacts can be categorised into social, personal and even economic impacts or costs (Vines, 2011). Some impacts are direct, and others are indirect. One suicide, however, could have an immediate impact on approximately six other people. Personal and social impacts or costs It is essential to denote that the personal and social impacts are direct or immediate. The most affected parties after a case of suicide in this context include the families, workmates and the fellow community mates. At times, people close to the individuals who commit suicide often blame themselves for the issue. Precisely, grief, remorse and guilt tend to take charge of the people’s lives (De Leo et.al, 2010). The community feels stigmatized by such statistics. Most importantly, the impacts could also lead to distress and physical illnesses especially in the context of distress. Economic impacts or costs It is not easy to make accurate approximations of the costs that Australia incurs as a result of suicide in the rural or remote areas. However, it is assumed that the cost is huge. For instance, a reduction in the number of farmers affects the productivity of the country in aggregate terms (Denner, 2009). The human value is also accounted as part of this loss. The indirect costs could include the emergency health care provided, the property lost if the suicide was carried out in a car accidents among others. Therefore, the accumulative impacts in this context are significant and can be felt, especially if the trends are consistent for years. Potential causes and solutions Causes There exist myriad factors that contribute to the outstanding suicide rates in the remote and rural areas of Australia. They navigate from social to economic causes. However, the extent or magnitude of these cases ultimately results in the death of human beings. The first cause is the financial and economic hardship. Adverse changes in the economy usually have extreme impacts on the people in the rural areas of Australia. The most immediate impacts include bankruptcy and unemployment among other financially related problems. These issues lead to hopelessness, and depressions that are the ultimate influencers of suicide. Additionally, social isolation causes most people in remote and rural areas to contemplate or even commit suicide. Failure to acquire support from friends and family members residing in the urban centre triggers solitude and distress, leading to them committing suicide (GriffithsChristensen & Jorm, 2009). One of the causes of such instances is that people in the rural areas are usually resourceful and feel self-sufficient. Thus, it becomes hard for them to seek assistance from their friends and family members in the city during the hard economic times. Inaccessibility to health facilities also results in suicide cases in rural areas. For instance, it is assumed that approximately 91 percent of psychologists and associated professionals are based in the urban centres. Therefore, the people suffering distress and other mental issues in the rural areas have to travel to the cities for the psychiatrist services. Accordingly, these people worse off and at times cause suicide out of mental incapability to make right decisions. Solutions There are myriad approaches towards reducing cases of suicide in remote and rural Australia. First, health agencies and psychological professionals should focus on the health and well-being of the indigenous people in the rural areas. That includes assisting the people, especially men, find solutions to difficulties faced in the regions (Australia, 2008). Secondly, there is the need to promote understanding and alertness of distress. Men who are the main victims of suicide ought to learn the best approaches to distressing issues that could result in death. Thirdly, the government and the community agencies should ensure that there are networks established to construct resilience and strategies that people in the remote areas can use to support each other. These strategies include the way to encourage connectedness and building of community capacity (Australia, 2008). Further, there is the need to introduce training programs including financial planning and communications to ensure that the people in the remote areas manage their resources appropriately. The skills passed on to the residents and indigenous people in the remote and rural areas of Australia help them to prepare for distressing moments when resources are scarce. Men need to learn how to run family affairs, relationships and their production activities. That will help reduce the high suicide rates amongst the men. Conclusion Suicide is one predominant health issue facing the remote and rural areas in Australia. The most affected by this health issue in the remote areas include the men, young adults and indigenous Australians. Arguably, the statistics in the report imply that the cases of suicide in the remote areas are several times higher than that of the cities and other non-remote areas (De Leo et.al, 2010). Suicide is likely to influence the future social and economic status of the respective societies in the remote areas. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that there are community-based programs that could be used to help the residents of the rural areas deviate from the suicidal trends and behaviours. References Australian Psychological Society : Equity in health and wellbeing: Why does regional, rural and remote Australia matter? (2015). Retrieved from https://www.psychology.org.au/Content.aspx?ID=3960 Australia, S. P. (2008). Position Statement: Responding to suicide in rural Australia. Denner, B. (2009). Reducing early mortality of men living in rural and remote Australian communities. In 10th National Rural Health Conference. Retrieved September (Vol. 13, p. 2011). Caldwell, T. M., Jorm, A. F., & Dear, K. B. (2007). Suicide and mental health in rural, remote and metropolitan areas in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia,181(7), S10. Vines, R. (2011). Equity in health and wellbeing: Why does regional, rural and remote Australia matter?. Miller, K., & Burns, C. (2008). Suicides on farms in South Australia, 1997–2001. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 16(6), 327-331. Griffiths, K. M., Christensen, H., & Jorm, A. F. (2009). Mental health literacy as a function of remoteness of residence: an Australian national study. BMC Public Health, 9(1), 92. De Leo, D., Dudley, M. J., Aebersold, C. J., Mendoza, J. A., Barnes, M. A., Harrison, J. E., & Ranson, D. L. (2010). Achieving standardised reporting of suicide in Australia: rationale and program for change. Med J Aust, 192(8), 452-456. 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