New Colorado suicide data shows slight decrease, offering hope after years of rising numbers

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – For the first time in years, new figures from Colorado’s Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) are showing a small but meaningful decrease in suicide deaths in Colorado – even bucking the national trend.

For families like Betty Van Thournout’s, who lost her son to suicide nearly 11 years ago, the news offers a glimmer of hope amid lasting heartbreak.

"It does my heart good to hear the numbers going down. Even one suicide is one too many. It’s one too many," Van Thournout said.

Betty describes her son’s death as a situational suicide, not rooted in mental illness but triggered by immediate and overwhelming circumstances.

"They get in a place where they can’t have that rational thought, and so they just want the pain to end in that moment," Van Thournout said.

In 2021, Colorado recorded its highest number of suicide fatalities ever, with 1,370 deaths. That number began to decline in 2022, and in 2023 – the most recent data available – the state reported 1,290 suicide fatalities, representing about 21 deaths per 100,000 people.

Here in El Paso County, suicide deaths dropped to 196 in 2023 – a significant decline from 385 the year before, and down even further from 571 in 2021 and 754 in 2020 – but the county still reports the highest number of deaths statewide.

Experts attribute the decline to Colorado’s comprehensive and community-based suicide prevention efforts, such as the school-based program "Sources of Strength," a crisis line follow-up project, and even outreach at gun retailers.

While numbers in Colorado show a slight decline, national numbers continue to climb.

If you or someone close to you is facing thoughts of self-harm or suicidal crisis, help is available. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline anytime, day or night. Free youth therapy options and hospital follow-up programs are also available across Colorado to offer support, connection, and hope when it’s needed most.

Just as vital as these services are the conversations we have with those around us, Van Thournout stresses.

"Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions," Van Thournout said. "I was too afraid to ask the hard questions when I knew my son was going through a rough time."

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