Kentucky reports examine suicide, self-harm and firearm injuries
September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, a time to bring greater attention to suicide and other behavioral health challenges facing Kentucky communities. Two new reports from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) provide a look at recent trends in suicide, nonfatal intentional self-harm, behavioral healthcare and nonfatal firearm injuries among Kentuckians.
The “Kentucky Resident Behavioral Health Indicators Report, 2021–2025" found that 829 Kentucky residents died by suicide in 2025, while 2,457 were hospitalized for intentional self-harm and 3,435 visited the emergency department for intentional self-harm. Compared with 2024, suicide deaths increased 2%, hospitalizations decreased 1%, and emergency department visits increased 12%.
Changes among Kentucky youth
The report identifies larger year-to-year changes among youth. From 2024 to 2025, youth deaths by suicide increased by 36%, nonfatal intentional self-harm hospitalizations increased by 2% and intentional self-harm emergency department visits increased by 20%.
“What stands out the most is that while most statistics remain somewhat stable from 2024 to 2025, the most recent changes among youth are concerning,” said Alaina Murphy, MPH, KIPRC epidemiologist and co-author of the behavioral health report.
Murphy said year-to-year changes should be viewed within the context of longer-term patterns. She also noted that surveillance data describe what is occurring but do not establish the reasons behind the changes.
“This is why continued monitoring and a better understanding of the factors behind these trends are so important,” Murphy said.
From 2021 through 2025, 14- to 17-year-olds accounted for 3,949 of Kentucky’s 5,542 nonfatal intentional self-harm emergency department visits among youth. Youth ages 10 to 13 accounted for another 1,505 visits.
Girls represented 76.7% of youth intentional self-harm emergency department visits and 79.7% of related hospitalizations during the five-year period.
According to Murphy, the findings can help identify populations for which additional research, services, outreach and early intervention may be warranted. She emphasized, however, that prevention should not focus only on those groups.
Mental health involvement
The report cites 357 self-harm emergency department visits among youth ages 10 to 13 in 2025, compared with 285 in 2024, a 25% increase.
Anxiety disorders and depression or mood disorders were the two leading diagnoses for youth inpatient hospitalizations and emergency department visits from 2021 through 2025. The number of hospitalizations and emergency department visits for both diagnoses increased from 2024 to 2025.
Murphy said the findings may be relevant to families, schools, health care providers, and community organizations because they demonstrate that self-harm is not limited to older adolescents.
During the five-year reporting period, Kentucky recorded 148,427 emergency department visits with a primary mental or behavioral health diagnosis (for all ages). The state also recorded 73,881 inpatient hospitalizations with a primary mental or behavioral health diagnosis.
Firearm injury findings
The report "Nonfatal Firearm Injuries in Kentucky, 2021–2025" shows 995 firearm-related emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations in 2025. That represents an 8.4% decrease from 1,086 visits in 2024.
The annual number declined by approximately 45% over the reporting period, from 1,809 visits in 2021 to 995 in 2025. Firearm-related assault injuries declined from 266 in 2024 to 185 in 2025.
Residents ages 15 to 24 had the largest number of firearm-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations in 2025, with 306. Although visits declined among most age groups, increases were reported among adults ages 55 to 64 and those age 65 and older.
The firearm injuries report identifies 50 nonfatal self-harm firearm injury visits or hospitalizations in 2025, compared with 44 in 2024. The behavioral health report recorded 548 firearm-related suicide deaths in Kentucky in 2025.
Jacqueline Seals, DrPH, principal investigator of “Kentucky Advancing Violence Epidemiology in Real Time” and co-author of the firearm injury report, said the relatively low number of nonfatal self-inflicted firearm injuries compared with suicide deaths underscores the lethality of firearms.
“Because firearms are highly lethal, many self-inflicted firearm injuries result in death rather than hospitalization,” Seals said.
Seals also noted that determining the intent of a nonfatal firearm injury can sometimes be difficult, meaning the full burden of intentional self-inflicted firearm injuries may not be captured in medical records.
Connecting the findings
According to Seals, firearm injury surveillance can help identify populations and communities experiencing an elevated burden of suicide attempts and firearm-related harm. The information can then be used by communities when considering prevention strategies.
The authors described several approaches currently used in Kentucky, including behavioral health services, early intervention, safety planning, awareness of risk factors, crisis-response training and safe firearm storage.
“Taken together, these reports show that injury prevention, behavioral health and suicide prevention are deeply interconnected,” Seals said.
Murphy said the findings represent more than statistical trends.
“These data are not just numbers,” Murphy said. “They represent people and families in Kentucky communities whose lives have been impacted by suicide and self-harm.”
People seeking crisis support may call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In an immediate emergency, call 911. To find mental health treatment with availability near you, visit FindHelpNow.org.
Produced by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center as bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health, July 2026.
These reports were supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of financial assistance awards totaling $1,250,000 with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources; $550,000 with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources; $16,222,256 with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources; and $400,000 with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by CHFS, CDC, HHS, or the U.S. government. For more information, please visit CDC.gov. The “Kentucky Resident Behavioral Health Indicators Report, 2021–2025” report was also supported by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) as part of cooperative agreement PON27282200003056.