HONOLULU (KITV4) – A new Hawaii report shows the number of suicides, completed and attempts, just keeps going up in the islands.
A local mental health advocate said a resident in Hawaii dies from suicide every two days.
Two hundred suicides were confirmed in 2022 and an additional 14 were undetermined. Three hundred hospitalizations took place for attempted suicides. More than 500 residents took a visit to the emergency room and almost 1,000 calls were to the Hawaii Poison hotline.
“If it’s not paradise for you, then we have to refocus and make sure we're taking care of ourselves and pay attention to our mental health. Maybe we have that extra pressure that it’s supposed to be paradise here, which is a big myth," said Kathleen Merriam, co-chair of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
According to the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 to 44 and it is the highest in youth and teenagers.
"There’s a whole other number of people that attempt suicide. That’s very serious and of course attempters are at risk for attempting again. Then there’s...another segment of our population that think about suicide,” said Merriam.
The number of non-fatal attempts is decreasing. The report also said completed suicides involve firearms and hanging while the non-fatal attempts involved drugs and medical poisoning.
If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal thoughts, the Suicide and Crisis Helpline is always available. Just call 988.
