“These are moms, dads, brothers, sisters, neighbors, coworkers, and all of these losses...are truly a human tragedy and they’re a reminder that we have to do more,” said LeeAnne Cornyn, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS).
In 2023, the most recent year with full data, there were 1,777 suicide deaths in Ohio. This was a 1% decrease in the number of deaths from 2022, according to the Ohio Department of Health’s recently released 2023 Ohio Suicide Report.
Suicide remained the second-leading cause of death among Ohioans ages 10-14 and 20-34 in 2023, and it was the 12th-leading cause of death overall. On average, nearly five Ohioans died by suicide per day, including one individual age 10-24 every 36 hours.
“This is a sobering fact,” ODH director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said Thursday. “Though we take some encouragement from this slight decline, we are committed to continuing to work hard to drove those numbers down further.”
Local impact
In the region, Montgomery County saw the highest number of suicide deaths in 2023, which was 93 deaths, while Clark County, which saw 22 suicide deaths in 2023, experienced the highest rate of suicide deaths over 2020-2023 in the region, according to the new ODH report.
Clark County’s 2023 rate of deaths by suicide was 15.2 per 100,000 people, while its 2020-2023 rate was 20.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people, according to ODH.
Montgomery County’s 2023 rate was 17.4 suicide deaths per 100,000 people, and its 202-2023 rate was 15.6 deaths per 100,000 people.
Butler County experienced 57 deaths by suicide in 2023, according to ODH. It saw a rate of 15 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023 and a 2020-2023 rate of 13.8 deaths per 100,000 people.
Rural areas in the region and across the state also experienced higher rates of suicide deaths. Darke County’s 2020-2023 rate of deaths by suicide was 18.6 deaths per 100,000 people, according to ODH. Preble County’s 2020-2023 rate was 17.8 suicide deaths per 100,000 people, and Champaign County’s rate was 16.5.
From 2020 to 2023, Vinton County in southern Ohio had the highest suicide death rate or 31.6 deaths per 100,000 people. Of the 16 counties with the highest suicide death rates, 14 were rural. That included 11 rural counties in the Appalachian region and three that were rural but not in the Appalachian region.
The report is an indicator of how Ohio has become a leader in addressing mental health, said the governor, who added more improvements still need to be made.
“Depression and suicide remain a serious threat – especially to our kids,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “If anything, our progress should inspire us to further advance our commitment to this life-saving work, because the life of every Ohioan is precious.”
The demand for mental health services has never been greater, said Cornyn.
988’s impact in Ohio
One of the biggest areas of impact in the state has seen is through the 988 national suicide crisis hotline, also called the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
“Ohio...has the largest network of call centers with 19 call centers all across the state, ensuring that no matter where you are, you’re reaching someone close to your very own community who understands the needs and resources that may exist in that community,” Cornyn said.
Since launching in July of 2022, Ohio has experienced 440,000 contacts through 988, including calls, texts and chats through the website at 988lifeline.org.
“We know that the need is there, and we know that the demand is there,” Cornyn said.
Ohio’s 988 call centers have answered 99% of the calls from Ohioans since launching.
“This is truly Ohioans supporting one another to ensure that they have access to the resources they need to be well, get well and stay well,” Cornyn said.
OhioMHAS is also trying to support local communities in designing interventions and programs that meet their local needs she said.
By the numbers
White non-Hispanic males continued to lead all groups for suicide in 2023, accounting for 68.7% of all suicide deaths (1,441).
Other key findings of the 2023 report include:
- Black non-Hispanic females and white non-Hispanic females had the largest decreases in the rate of suicide deaths, both decreasing by 6%.
- Ohioans ages 45-54 was the age group with the highest rate of suicide deaths (20.1 per 100,000 population).
- Firearm was the mechanism used in over half (58.0%) of all suicide deaths (1,031).
- The number of suicide deaths by drug poisoning increased by 11%.
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