Suicide in Victoria, Australia: Investigating the presence and nature of mental illness and exploring pathways to suicide

This research investigated the presence and nature of mental illness among persons who died by suicide in Victoria, Australia and explored the pathways to suicide in this same population. The research aimed to examine mental illness and suicide in the context of other distal and proximal factors and stressors. The research demonstrated people exposed to stressors other than mental illness are dying by suicide and this is, at least sometimes, in the absence of any diagnosed mental illness. Additionally, even within the population who have a diagnosed mental illness, the pathways or life trajectories to suicide are complex and varied.