Why is Seattle said to have a high rate of suicide and depression? (Tacoma: live, statistics)

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by heartfocus

I've been told by a sleep doctor that both SAD and sleep disorders affect those further from the equator. He said it all has to do with sunlight. That's why they have light boxes you can sit by, which helps!

A lot of people get benefit both from the light boxes, and from supplemental vitamin D. in Seattle, It's also a benefit to go outside and get some exercise, no matter how crappy the weather is. And most of the time, it's just cloudy or drizzly. It doesn't rain that hard that often.

[wutitiz]

I don't know about suicide rates, but I think it is true that Seattle has long had a higher rate of drug use than most, and it seems to get worse as time goes on.

Drug deaths reach 15-year high in King County as Capitol Hill remains overdose hub | CHS Capitol Hill Seattle

[metoque]

Seattle weather is hyper-depressing and gnaws at you over time. You need to live there for at least 3 years to really test it out for yourself and know if you can handle it.

Plus, Seattle has lots of gays and gays are more depressed and more likely to think about/commit suicide.

[steel7]

If I could I would move to seattle & decide for myself if its right for me. I do like cool, cloudy & wet weather which is not often in so.ca.

[heartfocus]

Eureka, California has a very high suicide rate, and people say it's the lack of sun, but I have heard of other problems there - housing availability and medical access, that could make life very difficult.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by metoque

Seattle weather is hyper-depressing and gnaws at you over time. You need to live there for at least 3 years to really test it out for yourself and know if you can handle it.

Plus, Seattle has lots of gays and gays are more depressed and more likely to think about/commit suicide.

Except Seattle doesn't have a high suicide rate. 27th in the country, or something like that. Depressed? I don't know. Economically, it's been a city of booms and busts. It's booming right now. When it busts, people leave. So maybe if it's that depressing, people leave? Sure, the ones who choose to stay are going be an odd lot. The odds are good but the goods are odd?
And, I've never read anywhere that gays are more depressed. Nor do I believe that. Seattle has one of the highest Gay and Lesbian populations in the US, so if you're not one, then they're in your family or live two doors down or work with you. They're everywhere.
Some people are unhappy in Seattle. Sometimes it's the situation, sometimes it's the place, temperament, etc. If you're most comfortable with either southern hospitality, east coast briskness, or Midwest warmth, you're not going to get it here. Maybe there's a higher incidence of depression here. I do know that the Gay population in Seattle has a higher per capita income than the general population. Making money is not depressing.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Originally Posted by heartfocus

I can't believe that no one in this thread has mentioned Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and sleep disorders that occur more the further you are from the equator!

this.
And while Seattle is gorgeous, there is the fact of all that rain....which means it is overcast and gray when the cloud cover comes in for the rain...which affect people who are light sensitive.

[metoque]

Originally Posted by Ira500

And, I've never read anywhere that gays are more depressed. Nor do I believe that.

Have you even looked? It's all over the place if you Google it.

Higher Risk of Mental Health Problems for Homosexuals | Psych Central

[DP79]

Originally Posted by Ira500

A lot of people get benefit both from the light boxes, and from supplemental vitamin D. in Seattle, It's also a benefit to go outside and get some exercise, no matter how crappy the weather is. And most of the time, it's just cloudy or drizzly. It doesn't rain that hard that often.

If someone told me beforehand that I would need light boxes and vitamin supplements to get through 9 months of the year, I probably would have reconsidered my decision to move there.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by metoque

Have you even looked? It's all over the place if you Google it.

Higher Risk of Mental Health Problems for Homosexuals | Psych Central

Nope, never googled it. But I think it's statistically insignificant. The article you linked to stated that 4% of homosexuals get episodes of depression every couple of weeks, as opposed to 2% of the general population.
The article stated that discrimination against homosexuals could be a factor. So we have no idea if this stat holds in places that are more gay friendly. But even if it does, if the population of Seattle is 650,000, and the population of gays and lesbians is 10%, that's 65000. If 4% of them are depressed, that's 2600 depressed homosexuals, and if 2% of the non homosexuals are depressed, that's 11,700 depressed straights.
Not so many.