The Northern Territory had Australia's worst rates of child suicide in the five years to 2016, and without strong government action there will be more preventable tragedies, the children's commissioner says.
The Children's Commissioner and Child Deaths Review and Prevention Committee's ninth annual report shows Territory kids taking their own lives was the leading cause of death between 2012 and 2016.
Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne labelled the rise of self-harm as concerning, saying the numbers are significant considering the Territory's small population.
The Territory recorded nearly 14 suicide child deaths per 100,000 people compared to the national average of two per 100,000.
Ms Gwynne said the NT has a critical shortage of services for child and teenage mental heath, with those seeking help often having to wait up to seven weeks to see a professional in the major centres alone.
"There just isn't enough capacity or expertise to deal with the young people who are crying out for help," she said.
"Until we do something about that, I'm concerned that we're going to have more preventable deaths."
Twenty-one of the 26 suicides were Aboriginal youngsters, and 69 per cent of the overall mortalities occurred in remote areas.
But Ms Gwynne was loathe to attribute the problem to a particular cultural group, saying her committee has always been grossly underfunded which prevents it from determining the underlying causes or developing prevention strategies.
"Too often we assume this is an indigenous issue - mental health doesn't discriminate," she said.
"We're seeing a widespread rise in adolescent deaths over the past 10 years."
The juvenile detention and protection royal commission on Friday recommended the CDRPC be properly resourced with statutory responsibility to investigate child deaths and serious abuse.
But Ms Gwynne thinks that doesn't go far enough, pushing for a whole-of-government approach instead.
The NT health department has been contacted for comment.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Local Aboriginal Medical Service details available from www.bettertoknow.org.au/AMS
