Suicide spike blamed on petrol sniffing

Suicide spike blamed on petrol sniffing

Petrol sniffing has been partly blamed for suicide spike in a small Aboriginal community in Western Australia.

WA Coroner Alistair Hope handed down his findings today into the deaths of five young Aboriginal males, including a 13-year-old boy, in the remote Kimberley community of Balgo.

Four of the young men, including the 13-year-old, were found to have committed suicide within the space of 12 months.

The fifth death, of petrol-sniffer Liam Tchooga, 18, was ruled most likely to have been an accident linked to solvent abuse.

Hope said in his findings that although the suicide rate among Kimberley indigenous was 6.25 times higher than that of the general WA population, it was 100 times higher in Balgo.

``The case of (Tchooga's death) highlights the unfortunate fact that there are currently no avenues available to the authorities to compulsorily require a solvent abuser to undergo suitable treatment, even when that solvent abuser is committing offences,'' the coroner said.

Hope added there were ``no suitable residential rehabilitation centres in WA available throughout the year for young Aboriginal people who sniff volatile substances or who suffer from other forms of drug addiction''.

Source: AAP

Images: Creativespirits.info

Published Oct 22 2011