Why is the Colorado suicide rate so high? (homes, living in)

[WestCoDude]

When you've got an economy with as many hiccups and roller-coaster swings as Colorado's--and add to that the hideous foreclosure rate--yeah, you're gonna have some folks who can't soldier on. Plus, you've got so many people not from there who have no family or close childhood friends from whom to seek help and advice. You're all alone and very much in debt--hardly encouraging prospects....

[bluebird39]

Interesting.

I know after moving from Oregon to Michigan that there is much better access and affordablility to mental health providers here in Michigan. Our family unfortunatly has had to seek this help in both places, and it's been far superior here. Health care in general is much better here than it was in Oregon, and I suspect other Western states. We moved to be closer to family, and I suspect that the lack of family and social networks is worse out West too. It makes it hard to raise a family with no support like that.

I also think that the Western culture of rugged individualism plays a part. It's something I value too, but at the same time, it's hard to be entirely self-sufficient and take no help from any one. I'm far from religious, but also notice that churches are much bigger here than out West. The same goes for "social organizations", like lions clubs, masons, etc...

Thanks for a very interesting thread.

[WestCoDude]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

Interesting.

I also think that the Western culture of rugged individualism plays a part. It's something I value too, but at the same time, it's hard to be entirely self-sufficient and take no help from any one. I'm far from religious, but also notice that churches are much bigger here than out West. The same goes for "social organizations", like lions clubs, masons, etc...

Thanks for a very interesting thread.

I think you nailed it. Arguably, people in the midwest simply care more for each other than they do in the west. People are not at all connected in places like Denver and Oregon. And they are all worse for the wear because of it. And churches DEFINITELY matter. It means a lot to be worshipping with others on a Sunday morning and have somebody to pray and cry with when times are really tough. When you've had a tough week of menial work, can't climb out of debt, are lonely, etc.--the worst thing you can do is sit and watch infomercials on a Sunday morning. Oregon has the lowest rate of church-attendance in the country--and states like Colorado and Wyoming aren't far behind. Which is odd because Colorado has a very large evangelical presence with some super churches and one of the most stellar archbishops in the US--Bishop Charles Chaput. It's like Colorado has the structure--the believers and the leaders--but yet can't develop a strong church-going culture like Michigan or Missouri.

And I think a lot of this is because, at least here in St. Louis, people don't leave. They grow up with their neighbors and remain friends long into adulthood. You know the guy in the pew next to you or the guy out there working on his lawn. You feel very connected. In Denver, it's like a giant turnstile with nobody staying long enough to make Denver home. People come, ski, party, go into debt, and move home. Say all you want about Colorado's beauty--but natural beauty has nothing on the warm smile of a familar face or the feeling of being in church or any large organization centered around belief in God.

[rgb123]

eh....you know the midwest is not as pretty as the picture you are painting. Yeah, many peolple who stay have connections to friends and family -- which can be good and bad. The people you once trusted the most can be the people who do you in. I don't think everyone that travels west looking for paradise is hoping find nicer weather and a nicer landscape. Many of them are trying to get away from the past -- and their friends (or former friends/lovers) and family. Many of them are already depressed and leaving is the only reasonable choice if they want any shot at life. Having close family and friends can be toxic in some cases, unless the family / friend structure is very good.

I am confused about why the suicide rate is higher west...I do think it might have more to do with the lower populations, and lack of religion would definitley place high I think. Suicide is considered a sin in Chrisitianity -- just going to church itself does not make someone happy. The fact is, many Chrisitians believe they will go to hell if they commit suicide and that alone will in many cases stop them -- they are taught to persevere and have faith, suicide is one of those warned about unforgivable sins. Rugged individualism is taught and adhered to in the mid-west as well, and sucide is not considered an option by most because of upbringing and the fear of God.

[jazzlover]

I think there is very good explanation for the higher suicide rates in the West, and religion, or lack of it, is not the primary factor. The basic reason is that there is not the sense of community and belonging in most places in the Rocky Mountain West that there is in other areas of the US--especially in a lot of the Midwest. Several factors contribute to this:

1. Transience. As has been noted elsewhere in this thread, the Rocky Mountain area has seen a huge influx of transplants from all over the country. They have often left behind all ties to family, community, and friends. Social isolation is often the result. Throw in a lot of hedonism and materialism (often to the exclusion of most everything else) with that, and it can be a prescription for emotional emptiness.

2. Urbanization. The "myth" of western living is the wide open spaces. The reality is that most Rocky Mountain residents live in large urban areas--urban areas often larger in population than those they left behind in Midwestern or Eastern states. Western cities, being newer, also tend to be centerless polyglots of auto-dependent suburban sprawl, rather than the distinct communities that are often found in older Midwestern and Eastern urban areas. Small towns in the Rocky Mountain West (excluding the resorts, which aren't in any way a typical small town in any sense of the word), are probably as "wholesome" decent places to live as anywhere else in the country--the problem is only a small minority of the regional population actually lives in them.

3. Escapism. Many people who move to the Rocky Mountain West are trying to escape their past life. Like many before them, they are not necessarily leaving a place, but are rather--in fact--trying to leave behind the unhappiness they experienced somewhere else. They are looking for a "new start." Unfortunately, unhappiness is something like a turtle's shell--he tends to take it with him.

4. Age. The Rocky Mountain region tends to be the home of the relatively young and the the relatively old--both demographic groups with a higher suicide rate.

The scenery of the Rocky Mountains is indeed uplifting and inspiring, but anyone who thinks that it alone is enough to guarantee happiness is in for a severe disappointment. Unfortunately, a lot of people move to the region expecting just that--you can read that into a lot of posts found on this very board.

[goozer]

It is uncanny how 9 of the top 10 states are "western" states (with WV, the lone holdout). I think some of the reasons posited by posters may apply (such as the whole "seeking pardise in the mountains" theory), but it is still remarkable that there aren't at least one or two more "eastern" states in the mix.

[WestCoDude]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

3. Escapism. Many people who move to the Rocky Mountain West are trying to escape their past life. Like many before them, they are not necessarily leaving a place, but are rather--in fact--trying to leave behind the unhappiness they experienced somewhere else. They are looking for a "new start." Unfortunately, unhappiness is something like a turtle's shell--he tends to take it with him.

The scenery of the Rocky Mountains is indeed uplifting and inspiring, but anyone who thinks that it alone is enough to guarantee happiness is in for a severe disappointment. Unfortunately, a lot of people move to the region expecting just that--you can read that into a lot of posts found on this very board.

Yeah...I think that's pretty astute. I actually spoke with Archbishop Chaput about this phenomenon. He thought that Colorado's low church-attendance had to do with the fact that so many people move here, away from family, friends, and other social structures, and without those institutions they sort of just drift away from their past. I actually resent this idea of escapism and find it sorta childish. It's like college--you go to do whatever the hell you want without anybody telling you otherwise. It's so dysfunctional. And now I can see why people say Denver is like a giant frat party--it's the same mentality. So, for that matter, is Atlanta, LA, NYC, and other cities where what you call "escapism" is present.

I can't believe people are really naive enough to think that Colorado is paradise. And it's also naive to think that you can move ANYWHERE and escape your past--who you are. Denver's a nice place and it's home for me--but what I love about it is that family is there and it's what I grew up with. If I didn't grow up there, there's NO WAY I'd move to Denver. It's so vacuous, empty, bland, and wanting, hoping, aspiring for something that can only be filled with the people you grew up with.

rgb--you're right. The midwest isn't exactly paradise either. Sometimes family and friends can be exactly the WRONG thing to be around. But the right move is to find loved ones you should be around--not to move halfway across the country to escape your problems. Take your problems head-on--don't to a mile high to escape them.

[suzco]

Somewhere upthread I linked to the Colorado suicide report, but here's another link, to the Office of Suicide Prevention for the State of Colorado, that has much good information about suicide in Colorado.

[brightdoglover]

It would appear that mental health services are scarce in Colorado, at least to these East Coast eyes. I was looking online for a co-worker who was thinking of moving to Colorado Springs area- a psych RN- and there was very little work, meaning there were few facilities. The only big ones were V.A. and state in Pueblo, and a few for-profits up the Front Range.
The Western Slope, where I looked for myself, only had one unit (ward) in Grand Junction. No detoxes listed, either. I do think the high suicide rates in Western states are at least partly due to to high substance abuse rates, especially meth, and a culture of drinking versus social drinking or abstinence.
Also, a generous gun ownership percentage gives a lethal means at close hand. I am not against gun ownership (even if I do live in Massachusetts...) but certainly it gives people, especially men, an easy means. (Women don't tend to do things that are so disfiguring- men use more lethal means and "succeed" more often).
Of course, I do agree with the previous points made. Most people have trouble accepting depression as an illness, and in a culture of "rugged individualism," it could only be more difficult to be depressed, to recognize it, or to find some affordable help.

[rgb123]

Hmm.. well I'm doing a little reading and while my gut said that a lot of these explanations are off I was not sure.

The counties with the lowest rate of suicide are the ones that grew the most (population). Also, the most common cause of death among ranchers and farmers in Colorodo: suicide.

I think it has more to do with people not wanting to ask for help, not wanting to be seen as weak, invididualism, or just a lack of resources (personal or public) etc.

You assume a great proportion of the suicides are from transients who left loving families back home (who if they had a decent relationship to start with, would certainly not cause a depression so bad they commit suicide, more likely they just go home, or talk on the phone or visit a lot). I see no evidence to support that the suicides are from the more urbanized counties, or from people who moved to Colorado.