By Jody Heemstra

Rates of suicide among young people have increased by about 36% in roughly the last two decades, and the surge has caught the attention of federal policymakers.

The Biden administration has a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and a Federal Action Plan, highlighting the need for a coordinated approach to prevention, and equity in treatment and research. This follows the Bipartisan Policy Center’s launch of a youth mental health task force in January.

Task force co-chair and former Florida Congresswoman Val Demings said rural communities face unique mental health challenges.

“For example, having access to care, the affordability of care, removing the stigma. You may be in a substandard educational setting. You may also have substance abuse, addiction in the household. And so we have got to, as a nation, deal with the social ills that cause decay in certain communities in the first place.”

A big focus of the task force is a link between suicide and increased use of technology and social media. The U.S. Surgeon General says young teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media are at double the risk of mental health struggles, including depression and anxiety.

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Technology can also be used to help deliver health care services in rural places. In 2021, the Helmsley Charitable Trust launched a virtual crisis-care program in South Dakota. The program equips law enforcement with iPads, so they can video conference people in crisis with mental health professionals. Walter Panzirer with the group has seen positive results.

“We had a 75% reduction of transports to the mental health facilities. They were able to get care at home, locally; 25% percent of the calls were for youth.”

According to the CDC, South Dakota had the fifth-highest suicide rate in the country in 2021 with over 200 deaths. CDC data shows people living in rural places are almost twice as likely to complete suicide than those living in large cities.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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