Governor Kristi Noem speaks at the state’s third annual Suicide Prevention Conference on Aug. 8, 2024, in Sioux Falls. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)
SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota’s suicide rate has decreased for the second consecutive year, and officials think that means suicide prevention work in the state is making a difference.
The number of suicides fell from 202 in 2021 to 192 in 2022, and further to 180 in 2023. The statistics were shared by Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt during the state’s third annual Suicide Prevention Conference.
Magstadt emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum.
“I’m telling you that the long game is starting to be a trend that we want to see continue,” Magstadt said.
She highlighted successes including lawmakers giving schools $2 million for K-12 suicide prevention work in 2023, and the state’s gun lock program distributing 3,500 locks since last July.
Magstadt also noted that South Dakota continues to face challenges, including the eighth-highest suicide rate in the country. The suicide rate among Native Americans in the state is 2.7 times higher than the average for all South Dakotans.
The conference underscored several efforts aimed at reducing suicides, including expanded mental health resources and public awareness campaigns.
Governor Kristi Noem made a surprise guest speaker appearance at the event. She shared that after a close friend committed suicide, she spent years wondering what she could have said or done differently.
“I remember thinking if somebody would just tell me what I should have done, or what I can do the next time, to have a different outcome, I would feel so much better,” she said.
When Noem became governor, a couple of members of her staff who’d recently lost family members to suicide asked if the administration could do something different to make a difference.
“That’s how this conference got started,” she said. “By people coming to me, and us sharing our personal stories and that people need to know a plan, or something to say, or how specific they should talk to individuals, or a tool in their toolbox that they could use.”
Some tools in the state are getting a lot of use, officials said.
The 988 crisis line, launched two years ago, provides immediate support for those in need. The line has received about 20,000 calls and texts. Ninety-seven of the interactions were resolved without requiring further intervention. About a third were an immediate crisis; the rest were individuals seeking advice for themselves or loved ones.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, help is available anytime by dialing 988 . The service is free and confidential.
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