Suicide attempt rates were slightly lower federally – they represented 38 per cent of 850-plus interventions, with child abuse accounting for 35 per cent – but were still an increase on the six months prior to the half-year to May 2021.
The total number of emergency interventions nationally rose by 99 per cent, and included kids as young as five years old reaching out for help.
Ms Adams said that while “we knew anincrease in child vulnerability was going to occur through the ongoing pandemic lockdowns”, the intervention numbers coming out of Victoria were “very disturbing”.
“When you look at those numbers you can’t help but be really concerned and distressed, as what we’re continuing to see is young people really struggling to find their way through the pandemic,” she said.
“Firstly we saw them being really worried about what was going to happen to their families at the start of the pandemic, then we moved to this phase where they are like ‘what’s the future, my aspirations are going to play out in different ways than they may have and I don’t know what that looks like.’
“Then they’re also dealing with bouts of loneliness and isolation that they may not have had before as social activities and schools are restricted, [and] they’re kept away from the things that gave them pleasure and comfort.”
She warned “this data clearly shows that the effects of lockdown on young people are going to be long term”, calling forgreater investment in and advocacy of support services.
