Mental health and recovery board participates in 'World Suicide Prevention Day'
The Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board is participating in the 2025 "World Suicide Prevention Day", meeting with the community on Wednesday.
According to a news release outlining the event, it was held at the Reflection Garden and Gazebo between Buildings 8 and 9 at the Mahoning County Campus of Care, located at 1960 East County Line Road in Mineral Ridge.
The event, titled "Change the Narrative", featured speakers from the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board, as well as a keynote speaker.
"World Suicide Prevention Day" is a global day of awareness and advocacy.
It aims to change the public outlook on suicide, which has been shaped by stigma, misunderstandings and silence, according to the release.
"Suicide is something we need to talk about, especially when it comes to prevention. Over the past several years, the suicide rate in Mahoning County has continued to increase," said Duane Piccirilli, Executive Director of the Board.
Piccirilli continued," This event is to help people learn how to talk about suicide and also let people who have experienced a suicide loss know that they are not alone."
The release shared data that indicated that the suicide death rate in Mahoning County is trending down.
At the end of July in 2025, the number of suicide deaths was 22, compared to 33 deaths during the same time period in 2024.
Piccirilli spoke with 21 News at the "Change the Narrative" event, saying that although numbers are on the decline, one suicide death is too many.
Piccirilli states that since January of 2025, there have been 27 suicide deaths in the county.
"Every suicide touches about 135 lives, so if you multiply that by 27, that's a lot of people," said Piccirilli.
Piccirilli encourages anyone who is struggling with suicide or experiencing a mental health crisis to dial 988, the national suicide and crisis lifeline.
The 988 hotline connects callers to mental health professionals who can aid callers in accessing any help they may need.
