Child suicides in NC seem to be trending down, but still higher than pre-pandemic and more likely to involve guns

After 2021 set a tragic record for children's suicides in North Carolina, the state's Child Fatality Task Force got an early look Thursday at some tentative numbers for 2022. The data shows some improvement, but there's still a long way to go.

While final numbers aren't available yet, child suicides appear to have trended down in 2022. However, they’re still much higher than they were before the pandemic, DHHS officials say, largely due to mental health problems and the proliferation of guns.

According to a presentation by the Office of the State Medical Examiner, child firearms deaths in North Carolina doubled between 2019 and 2021.

In 2019, the office investigated 13 child suicides by gun. Two years later, it investigated 38 – nearly triple that number. Gun homicides also jumped sharply, from 39 in 2019 to 68 in 2021.

Public health experts told the task force that's largely because there are more guns around than there used to be, and they’re often not secured in homes or vehicles.

Data shows guns have been the leading cause of injury death in children in North Carolina since 2020, and they're also now the most common method of child suicide. That, too, trended down slightly last year, but preliminary data show firearms were still used in 54% of child suicides in 2022.

Some child welfare advocates want stronger gun storage laws to keep them out of kids’ hands. So far, state lawmakers haven't budged. A 2023 Senate bill that would have accomplished that never got a hearing.

State lawmakers did direct state officials to launch a publicity campaign about safe storage, but it was part of a bill that otherwise loosened gun laws and abolished the pistol permit system, doing away with a local background check that could catch domestic violence charges the NCIS database could not.

In the meantime, children’s mental health remains at an all-time low.

According to data from the state Department of Public Instruction, one in five teens in North Carolina reports they have seriously considered suicide. One in 10 has attempted it. And one in 10 kids has been diagnosed with anxiety or depression.

There is some progress on that front. The new state budget provides funding for 120 more school nurses, counselors and psychologists, or about one per school district statewide. North Carolina still lags far behind the recommended school staffing for mental health, but experts say it’s an improvement.

However, the availability of mental health specialists for people younger than 18 remains a big problem. Experts told the state's child fatality task force only three of the state's 100 counties have enough kids' mental health providers to meet the need, and around half of the state's counties don't have any providers at all.

County-by-county guide to mental health and crisis resources in NC

In the wake of tragic and traumatic events, feelings like stress, anxiety, grief and depression are natural. Here is a list of crisis counseling and county-by-county resources in North Carolina, as well as nationally. These resources are available for you -- just call.

Children's mental health

Mental health issues have been rising in North Carolina and the United States for more than a decade, including among the nation’s youngest people. Here is a list of links to mental health service information.

If you or someone you know is at risk or contemplating suicide, seek help as soon as possible by contacting a mental health professional or by calling the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) * or chat at 988lifeline.org.