Australia's mining sector is losing an estimated $460 million of productivity each year as a result of mental health issues, according to the Adelaide-based Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation.

The underlying statistics are far more worrying.

Rates of suicide in the mining sector are 80% higher than the national average. About 30% of mining workers report high or very high levels of psychological distress, and they are roughly two and a half times more likely to experience depression or anxiety – or both.

Australia-wide, men account for 75% of all suicides, and men between the ages of 35 and 44 – a significant chunk of the overall workforce – represent those at greatest risk in the mining industry.

Suicide is the leading cause of death in Australia for people aged 14 to 44, with nine lives lost every day.

Speaking at the Future of Mining Australia 2025 conference in Perth on Wednesday, Breakthrough's training manager Sharn Elder and philanthropy manager Brooke Williams said the statistics begged the obvious question: Why was the mining sector more heavily affected than other Australian industries?

"I'd love to be able to tell you it's because you're fly-in, fly-out," Elder said.

"I'd love to be able to tell you it's because of remote locations, isolated work away from families – any of these risk factors that we've identified.

"But the reality is, the truth behind it is that we don't know. We don't have enough data."

On top of that, the statistics Elder and Williams presented date back to 2019, but nevertheless represent the latest figures available.

"Across the board, that is the most recent data that we have specific to the mining sector. The data is nearly seven years old," Williams said.

"I'd guess that if you were to invest in a new mining operation, you wouldn't dare touch the ground if the geological data that you have is seven years old. But we're doing that every single day with the lives of our people, our most valuable asset."

It was with that disparity in mind that Elder and Williams called for a concerted push to gather industry-specific information, which might offer a more up-to-date picture of the toll mental health issues are taking.

It is entirely possible, they added, that such a picture could be even more dire.

"This would be a collaborative approach between the non-profit sector, research and education institutes, and government bodies," Williams said.

"But also – really key and really important – this would be industry driven."

Breakthrough was specifically set up in 2018 in direct response to these kinds of data gaps, and spends its time fundraising and distributing capital in pursuit of greater understanding and, ultimately, concrete solutions.

"We invest in the best research, no matter where it's happening in Australia," Williams said.

"As an independent body, we can partner with any researcher or university to fund and find out the answers to what is causing mental illness.

"How can we prevent it from happening? How can we respond faster and treat it more effectively?"

Whether or not precise answers to those questions exist remains to be seen. But in the meantime, there are steps that companies and employers can take – most of which begin with greater awareness.

"You might notice that somebody is having changes or different mood fluctuations and attitudes when they come to work, they're less engaged than they used to be," Elder said.

"Making mistakes is very common as well . . . When you're going through challenges, the fog gets thicker and thicker and thicker in your brain, and you just can't concentrate. You can't make decisions."

Elder said these did not have to be big changes, but they could hint at a larger set of circumstances.

Financial implications aside, companies would be wise – and on a much more basic level, thoughtful and decent – to take it seriously.