Suicides in New Mexico increased 9% from 2023 to 2024, according to provisional data released Wednesday by the state Department of Health.

In total, 512 people died by suicide in New Mexico in 2024, up 42 deaths from the previous year.

The increase in suicides in 2024 brings the state closer to its 10-year average, which hovers near 500 suicides per year, said Clarie Miller, lead suicide prevention coordinator for the state Department of Health.

Miller considered 2023 — when the state saw a 9% decrease in suicides — "more of an anomaly." The Department of Health is examining effective suicide prevention strategies put to use in 2023.

"Every life lost [to suicide] in New Mexico matters, whether we go up 9%, down 9%," Miller said. "One life lost is too many."

The preliminary 2024 data s

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