MEDFORD, Ore. – With the increase in isolation this year, the suicide rate is up nationwide. However, Jackson County Mental Health told NBC5 it has seen a decrease in suicide.
The organization said for the past few years it has tried educating the community on mental health.
Now it believes all that hard work is paying off. Though crisis calls have increased, the county says that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“What we do see often is when we have a lot of calls to crisis centers, the higher that number the lower suicide rates are,” said Kristin Fettig.
Fettig said educating middle and high school students on the importance of mental health is a big game-changer for the suicide rate.
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