Ranking of most miserable cities by suicide rate (cost, population, beach)

[TANaples]

Blazing sun, endless heat and humidity, makes you want to commit suicide? Ok, I'll buy that.

[Craziaskowboi]

Pittsburgh is a huge outlier in the Northeast.

[rossiapacifica]

The Seattle thing persists, evidence to the contrary. Even the movers and shakers in Seattle don't try to get the facts straight, probably because they want people to think that it's bad in Seattle so they won't move there (there are actually some people and organizations that behave and think that way in Seattle). If you do an internet search, you will find sites that state that Seattle has the highest suicide rate (even in the world) without giving any backup references. My friends in California think that Seattle is a suicide capital, but they can't accurately back it up--they heard it from somewhere.


This list proves the contrary.

So, why does it persist, and how did it get started? Even Portland, which is in a similar geographic environment, is lower on the list than sunny cities like Denver, Miami, and Tucson.

It probably started back in the 1970's when Boeing laid off a gazillion people, and the suicide rate was higher then. Economically, the Seattle region now is much more stable and diverse, this probably lowering the suicide rate.

Rossiapacifica

[Champ le monstre du lac]

I think geography has little to do with the topic. Seattle had a reputation for the highest rate for a number of years which was likely skewed by noteriety for cloudy weather and Kurt Cobain's infamous suicide. I lived in Seattle for 5 years and never met anyone who so much as even contemplated it. I'm willing to bet a number of the suicides in Las Vegas were people whom had resided there for less than a year or tourists, transitory people.

I lost a very close friend of mine to suicide 3 years ago here in Boston (among the lowest on the list, yes it happend here in Mass). It happend in the middle of summer so weather wasn't much of an issue. He lived in the suburbs, worked in IT and white collar work and then lost his job, struggled with past relationships and family, and alcoholism. I wish everyday there was something I could have done about it and it was one of the hardest grievences I've ever had to face. Unfortunately I was powerless, it had everything to do with his personal circumstances which isolated him and he didn't know how to ask for help. People are like iceburgs, you really only see about 10% of them at the surface.

This has changed my life forever and I would do just about anything to prevent it from happening to somebody I love ever again. I realize I'm not superhuman and can not force people to make or break decisions. It can also be very difficult to decipher whether one is actually helping the person or enabling somebody's self destruction when you care about somebody so much. However I look at the list and see very little relevance in the West having a 4% statisticle margin over the Northeast making one more prone to suicide. Especially when I lost somebody that fell into that supposed 8.1%, it go's a lot deeper than that folks.

Yes I reposted this again, but since the thread was rehatched I think awareness needs to be raised.

[Natural510]

Not to stereotype, but people on the Northeast coast tend to be tougher and more resiliant, and if anything take their stress outward rather than inward. Same could be said for the more "ghetto" cities (I see Detroit was discussed earlier).
I also noticed most of the cities tend to be more spread out and suburban, which may increase the feelings of isolation in already depressed people.

[Ghengis]

One thing to remember with the actual suicide rate in Seattle is that many of the officials that call in their suicide numbers, are killing themselves with such frequency that they don't have a chance to call in their figures which then are left unacounted for.

[robertpolyglot]

In general, the Intermountain West is "numero uno" because of the isolation and rugged individualism that is expected.

A couple of comments:
If LV is there, then Reno should be, as well.
Sacramento is depressing - flat, ugly and boring, so no surprise.
Portland and Seattle should be toward the top.
I find it hard to believe any nice climate beach town like Jacksonville is that high.
Pittsburgh and Indianapolis way higher than Memphis?

[Eritas]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

One thing to remember with the actual suicide rate in Seattle is that many of the officials that call in their suicide numbers, are killing themselves with such frequency that they don't have a chance to call in their figures which then are left unacounted for.

Help me out here. Is Ghengis serious or being funny? If serious then maybe Genghis is not aware that coroners are required to report deaths. If being funny, then Ghengis is stealing my thunder, as I specialize in satire.

(Who's checking the grammar and writing skills here? The way Genghis wrote this statement it sounds like it is the officials that are killing themselves. A new phenomenon...."Seattle officials are now killing themselves with such a high frequency that they can't call in the suicides. Details at eleven...")

Eritas

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by rossiapacifica

The Seattle thing persists, evidence to the contrary. Even the movers and shakers in Seattle don't try to get the facts straight, probably because they want people to think that it's bad in Seattle so they won't move there (there are actually some people and organizations that behave and think that way in Seattle). If you do an internet search, you will find sites that state that Seattle has the highest suicide rate (even in the world) without giving any backup references. My friends in California think that Seattle is a suicide capital, but they can't accurately back it up--they heard it from somewhere.


This list proves the contrary.

So, why does it persist, and how did it get started? Even Portland, which is in a similar geographic environment, is lower on the list than sunny cities like Denver, Miami, and Tucson.

It probably started back in the 1970's when Boeing laid off a gazillion people, and the suicide rate was higher then. Economically, the Seattle region now is much more stable and diverse, this probably lowering the suicide rate.

Rossiapacifica

According to this list, Seattle doesn't even hit the top 15 when it comes to suicide. The 15 Most Suicidal Cities In America - Business Insider

The cities with the highest suicide rates in the nations are:

Las Vegas,NV
Colorado Springs,CO
Tucson,AZ
Sacramento,CA
Albuquerque,NM
Mesa,AZ(suburb of Phoenix,AZ)
Miami,FL
Denver,CO
Jacksonville,FL
Wichita,KS
Pittsburgh,PA
Portland,OR
Fresno,CA
Phoenix,AZ
Tulsa,OK

People often do associate cloudy weather with suicide. According to this list, the cities with the highest suicide rates are often in the sunniest states. Florida, Arizona, Colorado, and California have at least 2 cities on this list. Arizona has the most cities on this list, and two of them are part of the same metropolitan area(Phoenix and Mesa).

The city with the highest suicide rate in the USA is the "most fun looking" city in the USA, Las Vegas.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

In general, the Intermountain West is "numero uno" because of the isolation and rugged individualism that is expected.

A couple of comments:
If LV is there, then Reno should be, as well.
Sacramento is depressing - flat, ugly and boring, so no surprise.
Portland and Seattle should be toward the top.
I find it hard to believe any nice climate beach town like Jacksonville is that high.
Pittsburgh and Indianapolis way higher than Memphis?

Seattle isn't up there. Portland ranks number 12 in the USA. Seattle doesn't even rank in the top 15. Interestingly, Miami and Jacksonville, both in Florida, have higher suicide rates than Portland or Seattle. Miami is a beach town, but not Jacksonville. Indianapolis didn't crack the top 15, but Pittsburgh did.

The 15 Most Suicidal Cities In America - Business Insider