This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Far and away, the core cause of suicide is severe mental illness — depression, bipolar and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and anorexia.
A new study, however, puts another element into the mix, suggesting that living in a "happy" place like Utah can make "discontented" people feel badly treated by life, as one of its authors put it.
Utah ranks No. 1 for well-being and No. 9 for the incidence of suicide, according to the research, which is to be published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
While the study does not contain details, one unavoidable characteristic of Utah is that it's the home of the LDS Church, whose members tend to occupy the highest levels of government and many other institutions. But for many of us, living among our Mormon neighbors is just like living anywhere else — we tend to get along.
Every year, the church weighs in at the Legislature on matters it considers important, including, this year, how to solve the problem of illegal immigration. But the great majority of the Legislature's business is unrelated to such concerns. It contemplates economics, education, land use, property rights, labor matters, crime and punishment, industry and a host of other concerns every state has.
In life, we have learned that suicide is a cross-cultural, cross-faith, cross-gender and cross-economic reality. It can find its reasons in drug or alcohol addiction, and elements such as post-traumatic stress disorder, sleeplessness, dramatic mood changes, impulsivity and shame.
As one suicidologist has told me, warning signs such as social isolation and withdrawal can beget a sense of hopelessness, of "everyone would be better off if I were dead."
Last year, I did a series of columns on suicide and its causes, and spoke with the survivors of a number of people who ended their lives.
Again, in more than 95 percent of suicides, untreated mental illness — or a patient's decision to stop treatment — is the No. 1 cause.
The authors of the study, however, suggest that "although one's own happiness can protect one from suicide, the level of another person's happiness is a risk factor."
I can see that to a degree. Living here as an adult, though, I've learned we tend to self-select our social circles. We might have close ties to our faith communities. We go to public schools, sporting or cultural events, colleges and workplaces that provide lasting associations and friendships with people of many backgrounds.
Meantime, mental health professionals are working every day to keep their patients and clients on a path to restored mental health. Many also work with those who have lost a loved one, using individual therapy and group sessions — in some cases run by people like themselves — to help the bereaved through the agony of loss.
All of us know people who whine that somebody's got something they don't have. I'm just not convinced that correlates to self-destruction.
Peg McEntee is a news columnist. Reach her at pegmcentee@sltrib.com. —
Read the study
To download a copy of the study, visit bit.ly/e4K7SW —
Suicide-prevention resources
O If you need help, or know someone who does, call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433).
AFSP • for more information about AFSP's research and programs. > afsp.org
For a list of warning signs • suicide.org.
Learn more about prevention • suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
NAMI • In addition, the Utah Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and the University of Utah's Caring Connections offer suicide survivors grief support.
Reach NAMI at namiut.org and click on the "Inform yourself" tab.
Caring Connections • Reach the director, Katherine Supiano. > katherine.supiano@hsc.utah.edu
Utah Department of Health • health.utah.gov/vipp/suicide
University Neuropsychiatric Institute • 801-583-2500 or healthcare.utah.edu/uni