Suicide reports from schools during VCE exams in November shocked Victorian Education Minister Martin Dixon, who has ordered an investigation on student suicides and teen mental health issues in the state.

News.com.au reported that one Victorian student attempts suicide each week of the school year.

In government schools alone, 24 students were reported to have taken their lives over the past four years.

Dixon urged Victorians to pay attention to the huge pressures facing today's teenagers and younger children, noting that such issues should be confronted instead of hidden under the mat. He stressed that regardless of the figures, suicide is always tragic.

So far this year, there have been 122 reports of students threatening to commit suicide or other forms of self-harm. This compares with 96 last year, and 77 in 2008.

The numbers collated by the Education Department are based on initial "alert reports" by schools. It also gives detail on other causes and indicators of severe "mental stress," News.com.au reported.

Meanwhile, suicide rates across Australia have generally dropped over the past 10 years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

One in four young people will experience a mental health problem over the next 12 months, according to Orygen Youth Health.

This calls for action on part of the parents and schools to provide a supportive environment for vulnerable and volatile young people who tend to lose hope over issues that are too heavy for them to bear.

Dr Vicki Trethowan, Education Department senior psychologist, said mental health problems were distinct from "normal adolescent behaviour, where moods will fluctuate."

When a particular stressor lingers on the mind and in the life of an emotionally sensitive teen, sometimes the reaction cannot be predicted; it could be fatal. It is best for the homes and schools to make sure the environment would encourage problematic teens to speak up and unburden themselves.