Shana Burgess cautions people from putting too much stock in year-to-year fluctuations in the number of Johnson County residents who died by suicide.
“No matter what, one death by suicide is one too many,” says the director of Prevention and Community Relations at the Johnson County Mental Health Center. “Behind every number is a person, a family, a community.”
Last year, the number of Johnson County residents who died by suicide was 96, up from 66 in 2024, and 93 the year before that. The 2025 number is a preliminary count and county officials are clear that, until the end of this year, it could change.
Even then, public health experts say, one or two years don’t create a trend.
Instead, officials like Burgess note that, in recent years, the total number of people who’ve died by suicide has been fairly steady. Since 2006, though, the number has increased about 67%, according to the county health department.
Reducing access to guns and other lethal means has always been one point of focus, Burgess says. In 2025, 61 of the 96 deaths by suicide in Johnson County involved a firearm, the highest in 20 years. And suicide by firearm accounted for nearly three times as many death as homicide did in 2024.
That's why the mental health center participates in The Secure and Protect Initiative, which focuses on promoting good gun storage practices, and The Armory Project, which partners with firearm retailers to offer a voluntary, temporary storage option during a crisis.
“We’re talking about mental health awareness, specifically with firearm owners and retailers, and safe-storage options,” Burgess says, “whether that's gun locks, safes, or voluntary, out-of-home storage.”
Two bills in the Kansas Legislature, one in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate, could help expand the number of retailers taking part in the program by providing immunity from civil liability for temporary storage. Right now, there are two stores in Johnson County providing storage through The Armory project.
‘Looking further upstream’
Another aspect county health officials would like to improve is the focus on the reasoning behind a suicide.
“We can learn a lot about the ‘who, what, when, where, and how’ from the data — but not necessarily ‘why,’” says county health department Director Charlie Hunt. “It’s looking further upstream. What are the factors?”
Stress, pain, disease and loneliness are all factors that need to be considered, especially for older people, experts say.
Other data that could be useful is if the person identified as LGBTQ+, says Gabe Hawkins, a county epidemiologist. Anything that could offer a more robust profile might provide new avenues of approaching the suicides.
When considering the preliminary finding that more than 80% of county residents who died by suicide in 2025 were male, for example, National Alliance on Mental Illness for Johnson County Executive Director Kelly Jackson thinks about stigma among friends and family, and institutional influence at places like school or work.
“There’s this bravado of, maybe, getting help is weakness,” Jackson says. “We don’t talk about our problems, we don’t cry.”
Of increasing concern is older men, who have one of the fastest-rising suicide rates of any demographic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men aged 85 and older have the highest suicide rate of any demographic group in the U.S., and rates for men 55 and older have been rising for two decades.
There are some signs that local groups are reaching people. Last year, Johnson County Mental Health received 3,231 calls to the county crisis line that were deemed a suicide risk, just over 23% more than in 2024.
Jackson and Burgess agree it’s a sign that the messaging is working and more people are seeking help.
Burgess also stresses that the county and 988 helplines don’t require a person be in a state of crisis to call.
“You can call and ask for advice when you’re experiencing something unknown or difficult,” she says. “You can call about a friend or family member, it doesn’t even have to be a personal struggle.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988, or go online to chat at 988lifeline.org.
