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2017-2018 Border Health Status Report to the Legislature

MENTAL HEALTH & SUICIDE

Mental health is an important part of overall health and well-being. Suicide is a serious but preventable public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families and communities (CDC, 2019). In California, the rate of suicide was 10.9 suicides per 100,000 population in 2016; this represents a 14.8% increase from the rate in 1999. (CDC, 2019).

According to EpiCenter-California Injury Data, the suicide mortality rate in San Diego County was 13 per 100,000 population (844 cases). Meanwhile, the suicide rate in Imperial County was 9 suicides per 100,000 population (32 cases), as compared with the rate in California of 11 per 100,000 population (8,600 cases) (Fig. 4.1) (CDPH, 2019). Imperial County has achieved the Healthy People 2020 goal of a rate below 10 suicides per 100,000 population (Healthy People 2020, 2019).

Differences in race/ethnicity exist among adults who committed suicide in the California border region. The White population had a consistently higher rate of suicide than the Latino population. In San Diego County, Latinos had a rate of five per 100,000 (123 cases), as compared with Whites, with a rate of 20 per 100,000 (613 cases). In Imperial County, the Latino population had a rate of 5 per 100,000 (17 cases), and the White population had a rate of 26 per 100,000 (11 cases). In California, Latinos had a rate of 6 per 100,000 (1,748 cases), and Whites had a rate of 19 per 100,000 (5,625 cases) (Fig. 4.2) (CDPH, 2019).  ā€‹

Compared with females, males had a greater proportion of suicide in the border region and in California. In San Diego County, 19 per 100,000 males (643 cases) committed suicide, as compared with 6 per 100,000 females (201 cases). In Imperial County, 13 per 100,000 males (25 cases) committed suicide, as compared with 4 per 100,000 females (seven cases). California had similar rates: 17 per 100,000 males (6,643 cases) committed suicide, as compared with 5 per 100,000 females (1,957 cases) (Fig. 4.3) (CDPH, 2019).  ā€‹
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