Suicide in rural North Dakota is a growing issue that warrants increased services and support.

North Dakota is a vastly rural state with a steadily increasing suicide rate. Among youth ages 10 to 24, the suicide rate increased 46.2% between 2004 and 2021, from 11.9 to 17.5 per 100,000 population. In addition, there was a 33% increase in suicide ideation and attempts among this age group between 2018 and 2021 alone. 

Unfortunately, as a rural and highly frontier state, North Dakota's mental health services are limited, often requiring a two- or three-hour drive to access them. Rural and tribal communities are disproportionately impacted by suicide, and culturally appropriate services for these groups are limited.

The University of North Dakota and NORC received a SAMHSA grant to address youth suicide risk.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded the University of North Dakota (UND) and NORC a five-year Garrett Lee Smith grant to implement the Rural and Tribal Suicide Care (RT-SC) Initiative. RT-SC provides suicide prevention services, resources, and support to youth ages 10-24 in a 14-county region in north central and parts of northeastern North Dakota. RT-SC works with schools, hospitals, clinics, and community-based organizations to implement culturally responsive suicide care practices through training, technical assistance, and evaluation support; develop postvention supports as an upstream means of suicide prevention; and implement lethal means reduction campaigns developed in partnership with the gun-owning community.