KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A new Centers for Disease Control report examining suicide rates since 1999 shows Kansas among a dozen states with the highest percentage increase in suicides.
The report also identifies Missouri’s suicide rate increase not far behind.
Overall, the report says the suicide rate nationally increased nearly 30 percent from 1999 to 2016.
Authors of the report cite mental health conditions as one of the contributing factors.
In Kansas, suicide rates increased by 45 percent, the fifth highest rate in the study. It's one of 12 states – Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and New Hampshire – with such an increase between 38 and 58 percent.
Missouri suicide rate increased by 36 percent, the 17th-highest in the nation.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call them at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
