I really hope this thread does not get diverted into yet another family law/gender debate but as a mothers boyfriend who sometimes looks after my partners children I do take particular exception to one of runner's comments - "Young children left with mother's boyfriends are at extremely high risk."

Not correct. Statistically young children may be at a higher risk with mum's boyfriend than with their biological father but that does not place them at an extremely high risk. Most people are not abusers either of their own children or of anybody else's children.

I think that we have a responsibility both to try and reduce the risks of new abuse occuring and of supporting those who have already suffered from abuse. Both are important and helping heal former victims of abuse may in some cases break cycles of abuse.

R0bert

Lack of Funding is used by governments not to do anything. Governments never have difficulty funding war efforts, nor donating millions for overseas disasters (not that I object as we do have an obligation to help our neighbours). It seems that the priorities are wrong. Taxes etc., are raised for the benefit of the citizens.
Having more than fifty years experience working with children; initially as a volunteer while in businesses and later fulltime. My wife and I often took many into our home whilst their problems were being sorted out. Many of them became members of a large extended family and remain so to this date.
I joined the Public Service as a Consultant, working with others to develop employment and training programmes and projects for both adults and youth. When the contract was finished I accepted a permanent position and continued working in this area.
Since retirement I have been working as a Volunteer Community Advocate.
What I found frustrating as Field Officer when problems arose involving another department management was reluctant to work with other departments. If there was a problem in my area I would contact head office, only to be told it was not its responsibility.
In the end I did not bother contacting head office but just went out and using my own skills and knowledge resolved the problem without the department. This meant I did not have any support if required.
There needs to be procedures and protocol in any organisation but where the failure is I believe top heavy management and the narrow mindedness influence of “bean counters” are the problem, with programmes failing due to the lack of trained staff and resources. It is imperative that systems financially accountable, but must also understand the objectives of why the department was formed.
Child Protection mentioned failed to meet its objectives. Fortunately I needed to speak with a police contact who advised me of their special unit, otherwise nothing would have been done by the authorities. If Child Protection felt it was unable to help why wasn’t I referred to the police unit

I agree with the author that we need more health dollars poured into dealing with mental health issues that follow on from being abused in childhood.
Surely this would assist in preventing suicide amongst people of this group.

As a young nurse, I remember going to my first Psychiatric unit.
I sat down to read all the patient's notes.
I was stunned to read that almost every one of these people had a history of being victims of child sexual abuse, or other physical and emotional abuse as kids.

The psych nurses on that unit told me this was the norm. All these patients may have had different diagnoses, (such as drug abuse, alcoholism, anorexia, depression, attempted suicide) but they almost all had been sexually or physically abused as children.

My brother-in-law was a psych nurse in Ireland, and confirmed my findings at the unit here in Australia. He stated that child sexual abuse, emotional abuse and physical abuse as children was in the medical history of almost all of the patients in the huge Psychiatric hospital he worked at in Ireland over a period of 30 years.

Imagine the anguish avoided and the money saved if they had never had that abuse as children?
We need to get serious and take this issue out of the closet.

Thank you Dr. Kezelman, for assuring us that there are ASCA and Lifeline and that at least these two bodies watch the suicide statistics closely.

We have also to give thanks for our governments and our courts of law.

In Melbourne, as example, the bridge that attracts most to jump or to drop their children for the final bath, has been securely fenced by the government and our courts of law continually modify their sentencing guidelines since the masterly 1975 Marriage Act, in order to reduce the number of aspirants to suicide.

What would we do without all of you?

It is all working well and, as the minister for housing, Ms. Plibersek told an audience of homeless elderly at the Sacred Heart Mission in Melbourne in April last year, “by 2020 everybody in Australia will have a home”, it is feasible to imagine that if we had a minister for demographics, he/she would say ‘by 2020 Australia will have no more suicides’

suzeonline, "My brother-in-law was a psych nurse in Ireland, and confirmed my findings at the unit here in Australia. He stated that child sexual abuse, emotional abuse and physical abuse as children was in the medical history of almost all of the patients in the huge Psychiatric hospital he worked at in Ireland over a period of 30 years."

Environment is important and neglect and abuse need to be addressed, however there are other contributing factors. This known from twin studies, for example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_mental_disorders

Where we all should have a meeting point is that there are obvious problems in funding, targeting, coordinating and delivering health services, including mental health services and that is why we need State and federal governments and political parties to stop playing silly buggers and put constructive effort into the National Health Reform Plan. These issues should be seen as going beyond politics.

Not much hope though where professionals are more concerned about their own turf than working towards improved co-operation and coordination and more $$ going to achieve practical results at the sharp end.

Suzie I have noted the same and research bears it out that anywhere from 50 to 75 % of people hospitalized with psychiatric problems have experienced at least one trauma; very often sexual abuse or rape.

Cornflower I don't know why you're presenting that link as it refers to a wide range of contributing factors; the twin studies the least of them. If you look further you'll find a couple of actual twin studies. They are compelling reading (like, both twins raised in different homes growing up to have schizophrenia) however, they didn't account for whether each twin experienced some sort of trauma - which could have been anything in addition to the initial separation from each other and their biological parents.