For the first time since record-keeping began, Nevada is no longer among the top ten states with the highest suicide rates.
In 2015, 558 people in the Silver State took their lives. Historically, Nevada has had some of the highest suicide rates in the nation. But according to the latest data collected by the Centers for Disease Control, Nevada is seeing improvement. Misty Vaughn Allen is with the state Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Suicide Prevention. She spoke with Reno Public Radio's Paul Boger.
While the overall rate has gone down, Misty Vaughn Allen with Nevada's Office of Suicide Prevention says there has been an alarming rise in the number of teens and preteens taking their own lives.
"When we are talking to youth that have screened for a mental health concern or thoughts of suicide, we're talking about stressors. The stressor can be a relationship issue. It could be an academic issue. It could be a mental health vulnerability. It could be bullying, and they're afraid to talk about it. I think they're afraid to be judged. They think their parents will be upset. They don't know what will happen if they do talk about it."
Nationally, more than 44,000 people took their own lives in 2015. Of them, More than 13 percent were between the ages of five and 24.