A look at suicide statistics

NEWPORT – Are suicides on the rise in Pend Oreille County?

Preliminary data would suggest they are, but the hard math hasn’t been done yet.

According to the Pend Oreille County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which also handles coroner requests pre-dating 2025, suicide deaths in Pend Oreille County were five in 2022, six in 2023 and six in 2024. While that doesn’t seem like a lot in a county-wide population of 14,361 (2023), it can feel like too many to the loved ones and communities affected.

“I believe there has been,” said sheriff Glenn Blakeslee when asked if he thought there’s been a rise in suicides in Pend Oreille County. “There’s lots of contributing factors, like political and financial unrest. There are a lot of pressures on people. It seems like people are having a hard time finding the hope they need to keep going.”

According to Blakeslee, from January 2015 to January 2020, there were 40 suicide attempts the sheriff’s office responded to. From January 2020 to the time of publication, there have been 38.

“Those are just the ones we hear about and respond to,” Blakeslee said. “For example, cities may respond to some and sometimes there are overdoses or other attempts that end up at the hospital that we don’t get called to.”

Blakeslee added that the sheriff’s office works with Pend Oreille County Counseling Services to better help people in jail needing a professional counselor to talk to and collaborates to provide a more thorough response to mental health crisis calls.

According to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 1,243 suicides in Washington in 2022. There are about 14.9 suicides for every 100,000 people in Washington.

Across the border in Bonner County, suicides totaled 11 in 2022 and 2023 and 18 in 2024, according to Bonner County Coroner Robert Beers. The county population as of 2023 was 52,547.

According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho is consistently among the states with the highest suicide rates. In 2015, Idaho had the fifth highest suicide rate in the U.S. with a rate of 21.9, 57% higher than the national average.

Watch next week’s Miner Newspapers for more for more information on this topic.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, it’s important to seek support and resources. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988) and SAMHSA’s National Helpline are excellent starting points for immediate help and referrals. Additionally, organizations like NAMI offer support, education, and advocacy for individuals and families affected by mental health issues.

SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.