Suicide in U.S. and South Dakota: Perspective

[EDITOR’S NOTE: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org .

DISCLAIMER: Writer of this blog considered suicide for a few months after his divorce, and later lost a nephew due to suicide.]

According to new state data, the number of South Dakota residents who died by suicide increased to 214 in 2025. That’s "the highest South Dakota has ever seen," said Vanessa Barnes, assistant director of the department’s Division of Behavioral Health. It’s also an 8% increase from the year before.

The rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 people increased from 21.4 to 22.9. That’s the fifth highest rate in the nation following Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, and New Mexico. It should be noted that all five of those states rank in the Top Eight for percentage of American Indian population. In South Dakota, the rate for American Indian suicides is 2.5 times higher than the overall rate.

Nationally, by age, one may be surprised to learn that those over 85 years of age have the highest rate, and senior citizens have a higher rate than those 15-24 years of age. Ironically, while SD had one of the highest overall suicide rates, the rate among its senior citizens was one of the lowest, bucking the national trend.

There are many reasons for suicide; many linked with failure. Failure to be accepted, failure to provide for family, failure at marriage, failure to keep the family farm going, etc. For senior citizens, it simply may be to avoid the physical pain and suffering for which there is no cure.

More than three-fourths of the 2025 suicide deaths were among men, with blue collar workers most at risk for suicide in the state, Barnes said.

"Behind all of these numbers are real people, real families, real communities," Barnes said. "So we do use these numbers as a reminder that we have a lot of work to do in the realm of prevention. All of us have a role in prevention."

Suicide is definitely a crisis and emotional drama for the friends and family of those lost. Many will feel guilty for not seeing warning signs. They shouldn’t. Warning signs don’t always exist. People can hide things very well.

However, we also need to keep it in perspective. The national rate is 15.5 per 100,000 – that’s one for every 6,547 people, or 16/1000th of 1% of the population. By definition, it’s hardly a crisis, numerically speaking. It represents just one of every sixty-one deaths. Four times as many people die in accidents. Heart disease and cancer kill 14x and 13x as many people, respectively.

As my disclaimer at the beginning states, I’ve been there. The thought of missing out on my children growing up stopped me. For others, similar thoughts may not be enough. Should government be financially involved in trying to prevent it? I guess that depends on how much you believe taxation is legalized theft. Better than using taxes for needless wars.

Source used: South Dakota Searchlight

(c) 2025-Present