San Diego County releases 2024 suicide-prevention action plan; officials cite overall decline in deaths but rising risk for youth and some groups

San Diego County officials and suicide-prevention advocates on the county’s Suicide Prevention Council released the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Action Plan (SPAP) 2024 and a companion community report at a press conference, reporting 363 county resident suicide deaths in 2023 and urging broader community action to prevent more deaths.

The SPAP 2024 update and report span the past decade of data and lay out strategies county leaders say will guide prevention work. "Our goal is to create a community where everyone is aware that they have a role to play in suicide prevention," said Dr. Luke Bergman, behavioral health services director for the County of San Diego.

Why it matters: County officials and the Suicide Prevention Council (SPC) said the documents are intended as practical guides for local agencies, schools, nonprofits and residents to coordinate training, crisis response and means-reduction efforts. The reports also highlight mixed trends: an overall decline in deaths from 2019 to 2023 alongside recent increases for certain populations that officials called concerning.

Key findings and figures

- Countywide deaths: In 2023 there were 363 suicide deaths among San Diego County residents, compared with 460 deaths in 2019 — a 12% decrease over that five-year span, officials said.

- Recent increases: Between 2021 and 2023 the county recorded a 6% overall increase in suicide deaths.…