Osher Günsberg Talks Life, Death, And Suicide In A New SBS Documentary

Osher Günsberg was unprepared for the intrusive thoughts of suicidal ideation when they began. Now, he says he simply lives with the brain he was born with — one that “has a tendency towards generalised anxiety, ruminating anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder”.

These tendencies are why he wanted to work on SBS documentary series Osher Günsberg: A Matter of Life And Death. The series explores science, innovative technologies, and ancient Indigenous Australian connection to Country, and how each addresses suicide and mental health. It is part of an eight-episode series, Australia Uncovered.

Suicide In Australia

After a period of decline, suicide rates in Australia began to rise again in 2006, according to the Australian Institute of Health & Wellbeing.

“Since the 1950s, numbers of deaths by suicide increased more steeply over time — in part driven by population growth,” the report reads. “Since the mid-2000s numbers of deaths by suicide in Australia have increased to about 3,000 Australians dying by suicide each year.”

That said, the AIHW also stresses that “caution is advised when making year-to-year comparisons”.

“While an individual’s reasons are personal and often complex, overall peaks and troughs in rates and numbers of deaths by suicide coincide — more or less — with social and economic events.”

Many people have been wondering about the impacts of COVID on suicide rates, and while data does not yet include the pandemic years, a AIHW report released on Thursday, September 16, that compiled suicide data said that “despite initial fears, COVID-19 has not been associated with a rise in suicide rates”.

But this doesn’t make suicide or suicidal ideation any easier to deal with. As Osher notes in the trailer for the documentary:”To make a show about suicide is very tricky… We have to acknowledge it, because you cannot fix a problem if it doesn’t exist”.

A Matter Of Life Or Death

In the documentary, Osher speaks with people who have lost loved ones to suicide and parents who fear losing their children, and looks at the high rates of suicide in Indigenous communities.

The crew goes into the therapy room with the Blackdog Institute, as they research how ketamine can be used to help people who struggle with severe suicidal ideation. “The bravest thing I ever did was stay alive when all I wanted to do is die,” says Allen, a patient who is trialling ketamine treatment.

In the documentary, Osher also speaks to Indigenous sportsman Joe Williams who explains, “Our people are the original scientists”. Joe speaks of how connecting to Country helped healed him during crisis.

Osher takes time to acknowledge how complex mental health is, noting that it’s often not just one thing causing people difficulty, which means it can be incredibly hard to find treatment.

You can watch the trailer for Osher Günsberg: A Matter of Life and Death below.

Osher Günsberg: A Matter of Life and Death premieres 8.30pm Sunday, September 19, on SBS and SBS On Demand.