Silence on suicide won’t help families trying to keep loved ones safe

June 6, 2026 — 12:07pm

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Australia has long grappled with a stubbornly high suicide rate and the devastation it causes countless families and carers who have tried to help loved ones struggling with mental ill-health.

Today’s report by health editor Kate Aubusson about Gus Wong, 29, who died by suicide days after he was discharged from a Sydney mental health unit, would represent many families’ worst fears.

Gus died eight days after he was discharged from the unit at Northern Beaches Hospital, where he had been undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to help treat schizophrenia, in November.

His parents have detailed a devastating sequence of events and missed opportunities as they push for a coronial inquest into the circumstances that led up to their “wonderful” son’s untimely death.

Gus’ mother, Caroline Yarnell, describes being told by a mental health services staff member not to call the police after she discovered Gus was missing, despite........

© The Sydney Morning Herald