Souri,* a 15-year-old Iranian teenager travelled 10,623
kilometres over the Persian gulf, through Java and across the Timor sea
to seek asylum in Australia. 



Last month she became the latest attempted suicide victim in Australian detention centres. 




From her hospital room in Darwin, Souri told Fairfax Media she did it because of the emotional turmoil of living in detention.



"I did it because I was scared, scared about everything,
scared about the future," she said over the phone.  "One year in
detention and there is nothing to do."




She and her group of friends were prepared to commit the act together , Souri said.



"There are 30 teenagers living here in this centre, we are very frustrated, we can't do anything, we all want to get out."



A source at the detention centre, who asked not to be named,
said security firm Serco has a group of teenagers under suicide watch. 



Louise Newman, professor of psychiatry at Monash University,
said teenagers were particularly at risk of self-harm in detention. 



"A person's mental health deteriorates through the lack of certainty over their future," Professor Newman said. 



"Teenagers in detention are well aware that their future is
pretty bleak which creates an increasing sense of hopelessness and
despair."



It could have been worse for Souri – a witness said that two
other detainees managed to catch her as she was falling. Her pelvis took
the majority of the impact. 



She is currently being treated for a broken pelvis and an injured leg and hand.



The Department of Immigration said it does not comment on reports of self-harm.



The incident is the latest in a spike of self-harm incidents at Australian detention centres.



In July, a group of women attempted to poison themselves on Christmas Island, then on August 13 a Pakistani teenager slashed his arms at a Brisbane Immigration transit facility.



On August 21, two Serco guards self-harmed after treating detainees for self-inflicted injuries. 



Since Souri's incident, a Serco officer has been stationed outside her hospital room 24 hours a day.



"My friends and I are so tired, we are followed everywhere by [Serco] officers," she said.



"The officers come with us to school and everyone looks at you very badly."



As she spoke with Fairfax Media, a Serco officer entered the room.



"Who are you speaking with?" he said, "My parents," Souri replied.



Her parents, sister and two brothers are currently being held
at the detention centre. Souri said she is only allowed limited contact
with them.



Fairfax Media has been unable to contact them directly.



Serco, which is responsible for the security of detainees
after hours, has declined to comment. The company referred Fairfax Media
to the Department of Immigration.



The event was witnessed by a group of bystanders, including children, who screamed and cried all night, a witness said.



A source at the detention centre, who asked not to be named, informed Fairfax Media of the incident.  



They said it showed the level of neglect from Australian authorities and the depression resulting from long-term detention.



"Since the majority of the clients in Darwin have already
spent at least a year in detention with little or no progress in the
processing of their claims, the breaking point seems to be imminent,"
the source said.



Professor Newman said that self-harm has become predictable in detention centres. 



"Mandatory detention itself is the issue, there is no
psychological cure and medical health services can not function in these
environments."



In July, Dr Peter Young, chief psychiatrist responsible for
the treatment of asylum seekers, resigned. He described the conditions
as deliberately harsh. 



Darwin Asylum Seeker and Support Advocacy Network spokesman,
Peter Robson, said, "The Darwin detention centre is so crowded that some
people prefer the island detention centres [Nauru and Christmas
Island]."



The Darwin detention centre has an operating capacity of 1050
detainees, making it one of the largest detention centres in the
department's network.  



"[The detainees] line up for hours to get access to
medication and treatment, it's a model designed to create depression,"
said Mr Robson.



A spokesman for the Department of Immigration said all people
in detention could be sent to hospital for further treatment after
receiving care from qualified medical practitioners inside the detention
centre.



Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said she was concerned
about the conditions inside the Wickham Point facility and called for
the release of all children in detention centres. 



"The fact that a young girl has been driven to this extreme action is heartbreaking," she said.



With Sarah Whyte 



Lifeline: 131 114 



*Not her real name - Fairfax Media has chosen not to name the asylum seeker in order to protect her identity.