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).