Why is the Colorado suicide rate so high? (home, employment)

[ditto]

Cold weather? Altitude? Boredom? Cabin fever?
I'm curious to find out some of the reasons (if possible).

Rank/State/Number/Rate

1 Alaska 155 23.6
2 Montana 175 18.9
2 Nevada 440 18.9
4 New Mexico 356 18.7
5 Wyoming 88 17.4
6 Colorado 797 17.3
7 Idaho 236 16.9
8 West Virginia 285 15.7
9 Utah 377 15.6
10 Oregon 555 15.5

complete list and more suicide data:
http://www.suicide.org/suicide-statistics.html

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ditto

Cold weather? Altitude? Boredom? Cabin fever?
I'm curious to find out some of the reasons (if possible).

Rank/State/Number/Rate

1 Alaska 155 23.6
2 Montana 175 18.9
2 Nevada 440 18.9
4 New Mexico 356 18.7
5 Wyoming 88 17.4
6 Colorado 797 17.3
7 Idaho 236 16.9
8 West Virginia 285 15.7
9 Utah 377 15.6
10 Oregon 555 15.5

complete list and more suicide data:
http://www.suicide.org/suicide-statistics.html

Ten second analysis looks like it correlates inversely with population density.

[ditto]

Coincidentally, AK, MT, NV, WY, CO, ID, & UT have more males than females, which is above the national average. Hmm.

[missy2]

maybe it is because they are over achievers. I don't understand this, because they are known as the healthiest in the USA.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by missy2

maybe it is because they are over achievers. I don't understand this, because they are known as the healthiest in the USA.

coloradans are not what i would call "overachievers". it's pretty casual and recreational here and academics, for example, aren't always such the drive here relative to a NJ, mass., VT, CT, even NY... but maybe you're right in a asense - seems people here are often looking for "the life", or are seeing too many others that kind of live "the life" while they, themselves, cannot.

i do think that the population density and male:female (ak, nv, and co are the top 3 m:f ratio) may have a bit to do with it, though maybe in indirect or simply coincidental (i.e. symptoms of some similar things) ways. i also wonder whether there are especially big native american and latino/mexican (i.e., more dispossessed) populations in those states. i would suppose that many of these places are places where people tend to move to, away from support networks (family, friends). i would also guess that there's less money spent in some of these places on social services (some of these tend to be a bit more "go it alone" politically etc. - each person for themselves more than some other places that can be more socialized in a few senses of the word), so less effective professional support (??). overall, they can all seem like lonely places (from my varying degrees experience in each). additionally, it can sometimes seem sort of "boom or bust" in colorado, sometimes about material possessions and maybe surface appearance (in the denver metro, anyhow), and it's an "at will" employment state (i.e., employees and employers can drop one another more easily in CO than other places), so i could imagine some sense of less meaningful care for your brethren due to some of this. but then that is getting to some serious guessing, so... incidentally, men's health did a sort of unscientific study that indicated denver as the city with highest alcohol abuse tendencies, and a few years ago denver's work force was polled as the least happy for cities in the US.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...4/ai_113560821 (depressing for some reason? "at will"? people'd rather be skiing? and this was when the economy was stronger)
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/...ntid=100182332 (depressing - or repressing - for some reason? party crowd in general? altitude? )

[ditto]

Originally Posted by missy2

maybe it is because they are over achievers. I don't understand this, because they are known as the healthiest in the USA.

According to this list, Colorado ranks #28 out of the Healthiest States.

[Mike from back east]

I think Charles is on to something with his 10-second analysis. One of the worst bummers of all is loneliness, and if mixed with alcohol, poverty, poor job prospects, some health or social issues, then some people opt to end it all and check out.

I'd guess that the high Alaska rate includes both the isolation and that the native Eskimo population is prone to excessive alcoholism. Also, 9 of the 10 states are western states. I've been to WV manytimes. It is generally a very poor area, with lously job prospects, despair, alcohol, meth, ignorance, and poor health status, so I don't doubt its up on the list.

The 9 western states are home to many Native American tribes, all of whom handle alcohol poorly and have high rates of diabetes & health problems, meth & drug issues, etc. That could skew the numbers for these 9 states. I'd hazard a guess that the rate in NV reflects the misery of gambling, alcohol and drug addiction found there - people go there for the glitz but it wears off after a while and then becomes a bore, the phony gaiety of the place must seem mocking to the depressed.

[Katiana]

I have read a number of articles about this in the past, and some mental health professionals think it is because so many people are here without family support. That would explain why so many western states are on the list.

[suzco]

Here's a link www.cdphe.state.co.us/pp/Suicide/SuicideReport.pdf
to an 88 page report prepared by the Colorado Trust and Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention that analyzed the suicide problem in Colorado. Anybody interested enough to read through it and report back?

[decafdave]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

I think Charles is on to something with his 10-second analysis. One of the worst bummers of all is loneliness, and if mixed with alcohol, poverty, poor job prospects, some health or social issues, then some people opt to end it all and check out.

I'd guess that the high Alaska rate includes both the isolation and that the native Eskimo population is prone to excessive alcoholism. Also, 9 of the 10 states are western states. I've been to WV manytimes. It is generally a very poor area, with lously job prospects, despair, alcohol, meth, ignorance, and poor health status, so I don't doubt its up on the list.

The 9 western states are home to many Native American tribes, all of whom handle alcohol poorly and have high rates of diabetes & health problems, meth & drug issues, etc. That could skew the numbers for these 9 states. I'd hazard a guess that the rate in NV reflects the misery of gambling, alcohol and drug addiction found there - people go there for the glitz but it wears off after a while and then becomes a bore, the phony gaiety of the place must seem mocking to the depressed.

I don't buy the Native American theory as suicide rates are MUCH more prominant in whites than non-whites. Further, its much more a male problem than a female problem. No idea why this is-any thoughts? I couldn't imagine wanting death.