Government Resources: Health, Disability, Safety, Nutrition and Fitness: Suicide

The Problem of Suicide in Kentucky

• Over the past two decades, an average of 502 Kentucky citizens have died by suicide annually. There were 567 deaths in 2003.
• Suicide deaths outnumber homicide deaths THREE to one in Kentucky.
• Kentucky's suicide death rate is the 12th highest in the nation.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Kentuckians who are 15 to 34 years of age.
• Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for persons who are 35 to 54 years of age.
• Seventy-two percent of suicide deaths in Kentucky were caused by firearms.
• Self-inflicted injuries that resulted in an inpatient hospital admission in Kentucky numbered 2,933 during 2003.

With growing concern for the problem of suicide in Kentucky and the knowledge that such devastating acts of violence are preventable, in 2002 the Department invited various community leaders to establish the Kentucky Suicide Prevention Group (KSPG).

The group's collaborative work continues to provide the framework for Kentucky's response to the problem of suicide. Focusing upon the importance of building local suicide prevention coalitions and raising awareness of suicide, its prevention, and the need for proper after-care are important parts of the work of the KSPG. Source: Kentucky Suicide Prevention Group (KSPG), Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Commonwealth of Kentucky.