The New Hampshire Suicide Prevention Council presented its 2023 annual report to the Health and Human Services Oversight Committee on May 16, reporting that suicide rates in the state remain above the national average and that help‑seeking through crisis lines is increasing.

Amy Cook, council chair, said the council — a legislatively mandated body — had its fifteenth anniversary in 2023 and gained a statewide suicide prevention coordinator and a modest state appropriation (about $100,000 per year) to expand training and statewide outreach. Jenny O’Higgins, DHHS senior policy analyst, reviewed key data: the council reported 248 deaths by suicide in 2022 and noted a lag in fatality data reporting; New Hampshire and other Northern New England states have crude suicide death rates above the national average.

O’Higgins said the council is tracking adult and youth indicators: adults reporting suicidal ideation and self‑harm hospitalizations, and high‑school students reporting prolonged periods of sadness or hopelessness (survey responses in the 30–45 percent range in past years). She noted an increase in calls and contacts to 988 and rapid‑response crisis services, which the council views as an encouraging sign of help‑seeking and reduced stigma.

Council members and committee legislators discussed rural risk factors including isolation, access to lethal means (firearms) and limited behavioral‑health workforce and services in remote counties; the council noted higher rates in more rural counties and recommended continued crisis‑system expansion (mobile response teams, crisis stabilization centers and 24/7 access points). The council also discussed survivor support and postvention resources, including referrals to NAMI New Hampshire and state packets for next of kin following a death by suicide.

Why it matters: Suicide is a leading cause of death for some age groups in New Hampshire. The council’s report directs prevention resources to where data show elevated risk and underscores the role of crisis lines and postvention in comprehensive prevention.

The council said it would provide the committee county‑level data, membership lists and the full annual report by email to legislators.