Suicide Rate In Kansas Increasing

New state numbers show that suicides reported in Kansas rose to 505 in 2012, a 30 percent increase in the number of suicides in Kansas in 2011.

The Wichita Eagle reports the figures from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment also show the most common method of suicide by Kansans is firearms, followed by suffocation and poisoning.

In Kansas, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24 and for those between 25 and 44 years old, after unintentional injuries.

Johnson County had the most suicides in 2012 with 92. Sedgwick County had the second highest, with 88.

Experts caution that a year’s increase does not indicate a trend, but also point out that Kansas has recently cut funding for mental health problems.