Suicide rates for 2023 at an all-time high for the United States

MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — In 2022, the CDC said more than 49,000 people in the United States died by suicide. In 2023, those numbers surpassed 50,000 suicide deaths. Mental health officials say it is the highest rate of suicide that the nation has ever seen. Local mental health professionals I spoke with say the numbers are alarming, but they are hopeful that things will get better.

"It's really tragic, we started to see a big increase in suicide deaths during the opioid epidemic,” says Luke Engeriser, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Altapointe Health. “That was worsened by Covid and unfortunately those rates have continued to increase."

Mental health professionals say post pandemic effects played a large role in the spike of suicides.

"It was normalized to be shut in and isolated at least for the better part of 1 to 2 years,” says Tasha Jones Nelson, National Alliance on Mental Illness Nurse Practitioner. “However, we realized socially, and this is why sociologists and psychologists knew in the beginning this would be detrimental."

And now we are seeing those effects. According to NAMI 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Altapointe says their crisis line received a high number of calls for help last year. He's says the calls have increased significantly in the last 6 months.

"Suicidal thoughts, increased depression and anxiety, even increased substance use,” says Engeriser. “There's a lot of reasons why someone might call."

Tasha Jones Nelson says the economy also played a role in the increase of suicides.

"It has definitely affected them in where they are seeming more hopeless with job issues, feeling like they're a burden to others," she says.

The professionals say more work needs to be done when it comes to access to mental health care. In 2022 NBC 15 News told you Alabama was ranked behind only Texas as the worst state for access to mental health care. They believe hope could be on the horizon.

I have to remain hopeful. Because when the despair comes in, it can be gloomy,” says Jones Nelson. "We've just got to make sure that we spread hope and hopeful in all of this because hope is going to get us through."

"I always feel very optimistic about the future of health care, and I think the decrease in stigma, the increased willingness to seek help has been a big change," says Engeriser.

If you or someone you know needs immediate mental health assistance, call 9-8-8. You can call Altapointe Health’s crisis line at or 1-251-450-2211. For non-emergent calls to Altapointe call (251)450-2211 or (888)335-3044. You can visit Altapointe’s website by clicking here. You can call the National Alliance on Mental Illness office in Mobile at (251)461-3450. NAMI also has a crisis line; they can be reached at 800-950-6264.