NYC Health Department Recognizes Suicide Prevention Month and Releases New Data

NYC Health Department Recognizes Suicide Prevention Month and Releases New Data

September 29, 2026 — The New York City Health Department is recognizing Suicide Prevention Month by encouraging New Yorkers to protect their mental health and call 988 if they are in need of mental health services or crisis support.

Suicide rates in New York City remain below the national average, yet hundreds of New Yorkers die by suicide each year. Following a peak of 601 suicide deaths in 2022, new data released by the Health Department show that 535 New Yorkers died by suicide in 2024. The data also identify inequities across gender, age group, and race and ethnicity.

“While there has been a decline, we continue to lose too many New Yorkers to suicide. In recognition of Suicide Prevention Month, we are reminding New Yorkers that help is available,” said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin. “It’s OK to talk to someone, and the Health Department is here if you’re not sure where to turn.”

“To anyone struggling right now: Help is available, it works, and reaching out is a sign of strength,” said NYC Health Department Executive Deputy Commissioner for Mental Hygiene Dr. Jorge Petit. “I encourage everyone to check in on their friends, their family, and their neighbors, and to take advantage of the City’s resources.”

Manhattan residents died by suicide at the highest rate of any borough in 2024. Citywide, men were more than twice as likely to die by suicide as women. White and Latino men died by suicide at higher rates than Black and Asian and Pacific Islander men, and the rate among Latino men increased between 2015 and 2024.

Additional data from 2023 show that 35% of public high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness, and an increase in suicide-related behaviors since 2013.

Ongoing trauma-informed mental health and suicide prevention initiatives from the Health Department include:

• recently expanded Perinatal and Early Childhood Mental Health Network, which supports pregnant and postpartum people and families with children under 5 across the five boroughs
• Guiding Youth Through Intervention, Diversion, and Empowerment, a free workshop to help adults support at-risk youth through early mental health intervention and crisis de-escalation
• An interagency work group on suicide prevention in the built environment convened with partners including the Department of Buildings, Housing Preservation and Development and FDNY

Anyone seeking mental health or crisis services can call, text, or chat online database of services is also available, which allows people to explore hundreds of options citywide.

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