September is National Suicide Prevention month, meant to spread awareness to the suicide crisis that currently grips the U.S.
According to recently released data from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, in 2022, suicide was the 11th-leading cause of death in the U.S., with nearly 50,000 Americans dying by suicide. Around 55% of all suicide deaths in America were by firearms and nearly 69% of suicide deaths were completed by white men.
But suicide is not just a national problem. In fact, the U.S. statistics are comparable to the data rates in Idaho.
According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare , in 2022, Idaho had the 12th-highest suicide rate within the United States. Suicide is the ninth-most common cause of death in Idaho.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide death rate in Idaho in 2022 was 22.2 per 100,000 people, accounting for 444 deaths in the state that year, marking an increase from both 2021 and 2020. According to the Ada County Coroner’s Office, in 2022, one juvenile and 125 adults died by suicide in Ada County.