Thinking about moving to Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Arizona or Alaska? Think again, for nine of the 10 highest suicide rates in the country are out west. Alaska also was in the top 10 in suicide rates with Nevada having the nation’s highest rate.
Perry F. Renshaw, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, professor of psychiatry at theUniversity of Utah School of Medicine and colleagues, are saying that these high altitudes mean high suicide rates since it is well known that Western states have some of the highest average elevations in the nation and also the highest suicide rates.
Renshaw the study’s senior author and also an investigator wanted to know why high suicide rates in the West. “We thought it was reasonable to ask if some aspect of high altitude is related to suicide,” he said. “Altitude was the strongest factor we could find in our study. But we believe there’s also some other factor we can’t account for yet.”
People with problems such as depression might be at greater risk for suicide if they live at higher altitudes. The study also included the West’s higher rates of gun ownership, a well-recognized factor in suicide, and lower population density – suicide is more prevalent in rural areas – may be connected with altitude in influencing suicide rates.
Deborah A. Yurgelun-Todd, Ph.D., USTAR investigator, University of Utah professor of psychiatry, stated that “these findings provide a new and important area of investigation for understanding suicide risk.”
Suicidal? Reach out and seek help. There's plenty of it out there: http://www.suicide.org/ or for anyone who needs local help for depression here in Palm Beach, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is located in Lake Worth, Florida. Their local # (561) 588-3477. They can also help you with any questions or referrals you may need.
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