September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and here in West Virginia, the urgency couldn’t be higher. Our state is no stranger to hardship, but the current mental health crisis demands clear-eyed attention and bold action.

In 2023, West Virginia’s age-adjusted suicide rate stood at 18.6 per 100,000 people, among the highest in the nation and significantly above the national average. That is 349 West Virginians we have lost in one year alone. Though this is slightly less than 2022, West Virginians deserve more.

The numbers are more than data — they are human lives.

In the age groups where men typically bear the invisible scars of stigma, our state’s rates tower even higher. For adults aged 35 to 39, the suicide rate in West Virginia peaks at 30.2 per 100,000, a staggering figure tha

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