An inquest into the death of a 17-year-old boy, referred to as RL, has found that he fell through the cracks of the Northern Territory's mental health system despite support from teachers, social workers, police, and doctors.
RL was captain of his high school in Alice Springs, year 12 dux, and a talented athlete. He received multiple academic awards and was selected to represent the Northern Territory in athletics. In 2023, he died by suicide.
Background
His mother had suffered a stroke years earlier, leaving her partially paralysed and living in an assisted living facility. RL had also fallen out with his friends. The inquest heard his mental health declined rapidly in the months before his death.
RL began struggling with school work, staying up all night, isolating himself from his father, and made multiple suicide attempts.
Hospitalization
In August 2023, RL attempted suicide twice and was admitted as an involuntary inpatient to the Alice Springs adult mental health unit. He described the ward as "scary," and doctors acknowledged that an adult facility could be an "alarming place" for a young person.
The NT's only dedicated youth mental health unit is in Darwin, hundreds of kilometers away.
RL spent nearly three weeks in the adult unit and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
Discharge and readmission
Deputy Coroner Chrissy McConnel found RL was discharged while still considered high risk for suicide. One doctor stated that "hospital is not a place where a person can fully recover."
Within weeks, RL's father raised concerns that his son was "in serious trouble," and RL was readmitted to the unit but discharged again after 24 hours. The assessing psychiatrist, referred to as Dr B, testified that RL's suicide risk was high but that she was "legally obliged" to discharge him because his diagnosis did not meet the criteria for involuntary admission.
Dr B stated that RL did not meet the definition of severe mood disturbance because he had been engaging in usual activities and had fluctuations in mood rather than pervasive low mood. McConnel said it was "difficult to accept that this was an accurate summation of RL's recent history."
Another psychiatrist testified that Dr B's decision reflected "a lack of familiarity with symptoms as they present in adolescents" and that RL "was viewed through an adult mental health lens."
McConnel found the case raised "genuine questions and concerns" about RL's discharge but could not conclude whether he met the criteria for involuntary admission.
Recommendations
McConnel made four recommendations, including that NT Health update policies to ensure the Child and Youth Team is consulted before a child is discharged. She noted that clinicians had limited confidence in RL's disclosures and that more steps should have been taken to discuss his mood with his father or school.
The family stated they had been "grieving for a lifetime" and that "the sleepless nights and nightmares, the feeling of guilt will never end."
Broader context
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15–24. The NT has the highest per capita suicide rate in the country, averaging over 48 deaths per year in the past five years.