Suicide Data
Suicide attempts and suicide completions, especially among young people, are of growing concern in Washtenaw County. The Washtenaw County Health Department, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health and other community agencies and partners are working together to monitor and address both suicide attempts and completions with the goal of reversing this trend in Washtenaw County.
You can hover over the graphs below to see individual data points.
Suicide Completions by Year, Washtenaw County Residents
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022* | 2023* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suicide Completions | 33 | 31 | 36 | 40 | 42 | 32 | 50 | 45 | 47 | 44 | 16 |
Source for above graph and table: Geocoded Michigan Death Certificate Registry - Division for Vital Records & Health Statistics, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) for 2012-2021 data.
*2022 and 2023 data are preliminary data obtained from the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner Office. Once MDHHS Vital Records & Health Statistics data is complete, these data will be updated accordingly.
Source for above graph: U.S. data is from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC annual mortality data files. Michigan and Washtenaw County data is from Geocoded Michigan Death Certificate Registries, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS). These sources do not have 2022 data available yet.
*Rates are not age-adjusted: crude rates are per 100,000 population using population estimates specific to the year and geographic area.
See more suicide data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services here.
Source for above map: Washtenaw County Medical Examiner (ME) Office and Washtenaw County Health Department (WCHD).
Data note: Partial Washtenaw County zip codes in the grey areas had too few cases to determine reliable rates.
Suicide Reports
We released our first Suicide Report in April 2023 - view it here. We plan to release these annually moving forward.
Resources
Anyone in Washtenaw County can call the Community Mental Health CARES team 24/7 with any mental health questions: 734-544-3050.
How to help someone
It’s important to know the warning signs for those at risk of suicide, including:
- Talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless or having no purpose, feeling trapped or in unbearable pain, or being a burden to others
- Looking for or talking about ways to kill oneself
- Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
- Acting anxious, agitated, or reckless
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Withdrawing or feeling isolated
- Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
- Displaying extreme mood swings
If someone you know shows warning signs of suicide, assume you are the only one who will reach out. Take them seriously, talk to them in private, and ask directly if they are thinking about suicide. See more recommendations on what to do if someone is at risk for suicide here.
Help for Individuals or Families in Crisis
Have any mental health questions or needs? Call 734-544-3050 for the Washtenaw County CARES team.
If you feel suicidal, call 988, text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org/chat/ for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also text HELLO to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.
If you’re in immediate danger, call 911.
Local resources
#wishyouknew
Driven by community conversations, the Wish You Knew Washtenaw campaign aims to spark honest and supportive conversations about mental health between youth and adults. Find local mental health resources on its local resources webpage.
Washtenaw Alive
Washtenaw Alive, a suicide prevention planning collaborative of Washtenaw County facilitated by the Washtenaw County Health Department, has put together a list of suicide prevention resources (PDF) in Washtenaw County.
Parent Support Groups
A free support group for parents of children aged 12 to 25 who have contemplated or attempted suicide is held the first and third Monday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. It takes place online via Zoom. To register, email Alison Paine of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). This support group is led by trained NAMI volunteers, and is a collaborative effort with NAMI Washtenaw County, UM Psychiatry, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, Washtenaw County Health Department, and Washtenaw ISD.
Family Crisis Center of Washtenaw also offers a Parent Empowerment Café to help parents with children who may be at risk of suicidality begin a dialogue with other parents with common experiences and concerns.