‘All of us have a role in prevention,’ health official says as South Dakota suicide numbers rise

Oct 21, 2026 | 6:08 pm ET

By Makenzie Huber

‘All of us have a role in prevention,’ health official says as South Dakota suicide numbers rise

Material from a new suicide prevention toolkit says "Be strong enough to ask for help." South Dakota men are most at risk for suicide, especially American Indian men and people working within construction and manufacturing, according to a new report on suicides in the state. (Courtesy of South Dakota Behavioral Health)

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

The number of South Dakotans who died by suicide increased to 214 in 2025, according to new state data.

That’s “the highest South Dakota has ever seen,” said Vanessa Barnes, assistant director of the department’s Division of Behavioral Health. It’s an 8% increase from 198 suicide deaths in 2024, and the rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 people also increased from 21.4 to 22.9.

Barnes presented some of the data virtually on Wednesday to members of the South Dakota Behavioral Health Advisory Council.

“Behind all of these numbers are real people, real families, real communities,” Barnes said. “So we do use these numbers as a reminder that we have a lot of work to do in the realm of prevention. All of us have a role in prevention.”

A chart from the 2026 Suicide Surveillance Report shows South Dakota's recent data. (Courtesy of South Dakota Department of Health) — A chart from the 2026 Suicide Surveillance Report shows South Dakota’s recent data. (Courtesy of South Dakota Department of Health)

More than three-fourths of the 2025 suicide deaths were among men, and construction and manufacturing workers were the industries most at risk for suicide in the state, Barnes said.

In response, the division created a toolkit to target “blue collar workers,” Barnes said.

The toolkits include gun locks, flyers for break rooms and bathroom stalls, fact sheets, hard hat stickers promoting 988 — the national mental health and suicide crisis hotline — Spanish-language materials and information on Naloxone, which is a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

The free toolkits can be ordered through the state behavioral health website.

Firearms were involved in nearly 60% of South Dakota suicide deaths in 2025, most commonly among white men.

The American Indian suicide rate was 2.5 times higher than the suicide rate among white South Dakotans in 2025. Barnes said the updated 988 campaign will also feature Native American men. No toolkit specifically focused on Native Americans is currently available on the division’s website.

The division has also placed 115 signs promoting the 988 crisis hotline in parking lots at universities and healthcare facilities across the state, with 200 more planned in the coming months.