IN FIVE years, 75 people have died by suicide in the Tamworth, Armidale, Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains local government areas.
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Of those deaths, 60 were men and 15 were women.
That means 80 per cent of suicide deaths in those areas were local men.
The statistics were released last week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in a report looking at the leading causes of death for Australians by local government area from 2014 to 2018.
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Suicide was the 14th most common cause of death in the Tamworth local government area overall, but for local men it was the 9th most common.
About 1.7 per cent of all deaths in Tamworth during this time were because of suicide, which is in line with the national average but lower than the NSW average of 2.4 per cent.
Other parts of the region also reflected a higher proportion of men completing suicide than women.
In Armidale, 13 men died out of 18 total deaths.
That's the tragic thing about suicide - it's someone with family and friends, work mates, peers and it impacts a whole bunch of people
- Phil Donnan, St Vincent de Paul Society
Suicide ranked overall as the 15th most common cause of death for Armidale locals, but for men, it came in at number 11.
It was a similarly tragic story in Gunnedah and the Liverpool Plains, where a combined total of 11 men died by suicide and four women.
St Vincent de Paul Society North West regional director Phil Donnan said it's important to remember there are real people behind every number.
"That's the tragic thing about suicide - it's someone with family and friends, work mates, peers and it impacts a whole bunch of people," he said.
Mr Donnan said there is a social expectation on men in particular, to not show vulnerability.
He said it's up to the wider community to look out for other people, and reach out to them.
"Within society we have people who may feel isolated even when surrounded by people, so reach out to the people they haven't spoken to for a while," he said.
"If someone is struggling they might not communicate it, so it's up to you to take the initiative to reach out."
Mr Donnan said he believes the AIHW data for those five years could be partially a reflection of the devastating affect the prolonged drought has had on mental health.
He said he hopes the COVID-19 impact doesn't translate into increased suicide numbers in future reports, but said there is an increased risk as people face greater isolation.
- If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
