The Mental Health Project is a Seattle Times initiative focused on covering mental and behavioral health issues. It is funded by Ballmer Group, a national organization focused on economic mobility for children and families. The Seattle Times maintains editorial control over work produced by this team.

Editor’s note: This article focuses on suicide, self-harm and other topics related to psychiatric distress. If you or a loved one is in crisis, call 988. Additional resources are available here.

Even as Washington’s overall suicide rates have fallen, they remain stubbornly high in an often overlooked group: Older adults.

In 2024, 216 people age 70 or older died by suicide in Washington, representing about 18% of the state’s total suicide deaths.

For the past 10 years, suicide rates in the

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