http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=12426711

SALT LAKE CITY -- The beauty of living in Utah's mountainous country is what makes the state an inviting place to live and play. But for some, the lofty altitude may have an ugly side.

The risk for suicide increases by nearly one-third at an altitude of approx. 6,500 feet above sea level. -Dr. Perry F. RenshawA milestone study released Tuesday night by researchers at the University of Utah Brain Institute has found living in high-altitude states, such as Utah, significantly increases the risk of suicide.

Dr. William McMahon with the University of Utah's Department of Psychiatry was one of several researchers reacting to the new study.

"It sort of puts our mental health theories kind of on their ear for a while, because who would have ever thought altitude was a factor in suicide?" McMahon said.

He calls the latest findings by Dr. Perry Renshaw and his colleagues at the University of Utah Brain Institute, Salt Lake Veterans Affairs and Case Western University amazing and extremely significant.

Suicide rates by region
Region Rate Number
West 12.79 8,940
South 12.13 13,389
Nation 11.48 34,598
Midwest 11.33 7,515
Northeast 8.68 4,754
Source: CDC (2007) "Altitude is one of the strongest risk factors we were able to identify, compared to others that are much more widely accepted as being related to suicide," Renshaw said.

While there are a variety of triggers for suicide -- many reasons why people choose to end their lives -- Renshaw and colleagues found living at altitude of about 6,500 feet above sea level increases the risk by a ratio of nearly one-third.

"In this case," Renshaw said, "our findings are statistically significant: 10 to the minus-175th. [It's] something that in our lifetimes could never happen by chance."

So why altitude, not only in Utah but eight other states that share both higher ground and nine of the 10 highest suicide rates in the country?

Highest suicide rate by state
State # of Deaths Population Rate*
Alaska 149 681,111 22.09
New Mexico 401 1,964,402 20.45
Wyoming 101 523,252 19.73
Montana 196 956,624 19.42
Nevada 471 2,554,344 18.36
Colorado 811 4,842,770 16.40
Arizona 1,016 6,353,421 16.06
West Virginia 300 1,809,836 15.84
Utah 378 2,668,925 15.27
Oregon 594 3,735,549 15.22
Idaho 223 1,496,145 15.11
Source: CDC (2007) *per 100,000 One theory suggests the subtle but lower intake of oxygen at these levels may complicate metabolic imbalances that are more pronounced in those with depression and other mental illnesses.

"One of the important energetic enzymes in the brain is something called creatine kinase, and it may have very different levels of activity just because of the slightly decreased oxygen levels at altitude," Renshaw said.

That doesn't mean people with depression should move to sea level. In fact, Renshaw said, "If the hypothesis is correct, it suggests relatively simple remedies -- like the possibility of taking the approved supplement creatine to treat some of the metabolic effects associated with living at altitude."

Even in the absence of mental illness, other research shows diminished oxygen at higher altitudes sometimes worsens a person's mood for up to 90 days.

Renshaw said the altitude-suicide connection simply begs for more studies.

I moved from sea level to Provo --- 5000 ft? in the 60's whe I was a young woman. What an adjustment. I was so exhausted, energy level was so low. Took month to acclimate. Didn't feel like my old self for a very long time.

the higher altitude states have more mormons.....


Alaska... everybody knows that seasonal affective disorder messes people up there.. no suprise...

and there are many other studies that show Utah and other LDS-concentrated states... have prob's with depression, mental illness and suicide.

I for one... am not convinced about the altitude thing. I have lived in places with high altitude....

and I've lived as a mormon for 27 years...

the years spent as a mormon were much more detrimental to my health.....

Could also be that the high altitude states happen to be in the west and have a much lower population density. Or many other factors.

Most of Utah is between below 6,500 feet.

Most of those are western states, with a lot more open space. I could propose a theory that it is the open space that causes people to commit suicide, but I doubt that's it, just as I doubt it is elevation. If it is elevation, then Tibet should have the highest suicide rate in the world.

Its probably an indirect correlate-

for instance:
* relatively high transportation costs impacted cultural isolation.

or:
*water table/minerals, alkalie salts relative to drinking water in rest of country or a gas compound from rock formations upon which residents build their house foundations; or the high incidence of, basements, in the presence of X off gasing of rock formation into or via cracks in their foundation

or:
* a higher incident of some irritating or actually awful thing that occurs primarily in their state- say flea or tick born hemoraghic fever or inhaled fungal lung disorder like valley fever out here- that inhibits or diminishes the quality of life directly or indireclty- occurs in that environment

or:
*something political, demographic, like, an established power base continentally marginalizes the / or an/ actual significant percentage of the local population nationally- however that portion of the population is in actual local power & control over significant resources (unacknowledged nationally)a catch22

or: mismatched federal aide to actual needs in a significant way causing duress or distress to local residents, fueling frustration or fueling under attainment of needs or wants, or under development economically

possibly through something indirect, for instance larger need for longer streets (ie open road) and federal subsidy only by population density

which distracts or forces population to cut back, from other needs or wants - quantitave exopentially increased effects over decades forced divergence from population opportunities (which being forced to invest instead in basic/barest necessities developing far less individually or for the total community)

higher or lower incidence of racial diversity or different eras and percentages of immigration than the rest of the country- which diverged from application of laws, services, supports, subsidies, curricula etc. and which application for a more dense urban center (in favor of urban investing) under invested or failed to take into consideration at all, the needs of the west.

Just possiblities- so many tangents, so little time.

Yeah - why are they assuming a causal relationship?

situation?

What if other peoples that live in higher altitude have evolved or developed larger lungs? I heard that's possible in Peru.

What if other people that live in some places have special? mitochondria for carrying for oxygen? and then all these darn settlers just moved there in a U Haul truck if they weren't a hand cart pioneer and then wonder why its so frustrating getting old there? like walking up hill all the time, having a blister, or aching back- all the same human aches but walking up hill all the time in a body that wasn't evolved for this slight but significant crisis.

What if the soil is lacking magnesium in all of their vegetable garden they are planting so frantically is not delivering what they need to get their muscles to relax (or was it contract)?
and then here they are- walking all the time, excersizing, eating food out of their gardens- with muscles barely on the edge of spasming? would that be depressing?

What if the soil in the ecosystem in those states lacks trace elements, say magnesium, that is required for muscle tense/relax balance- and simultaneous gosh darn it- there was a propoganda deluge asking or requring all women to injest supplements of calcium. And compliant women took their calcium- some of which was absorbable- and simultaneously- exagerated their need- their unmet need- for magnesium.
causing muscles that either get too tight can't relax or relax too much I can't remember which you would have to look that up (calcium magnesium balance)
might be tiring. fatiguing? distressing?

look up soil trace minerals in these areas, correlate with garden or food source and trace minerals in region's soil- see if there is a scarcity of magnesium in the food.
that would be depressing. they even give magnesium to horses. Salts licks right? What what about the people? oh Well, hey, they can do without, right, they're not as big as horses. They don't need it.

I wanted to kill myself at 6,500 feet. Nice to know that Utah scientists say it was probably the altitude, and not the fact that my husband was beating me.

Strange, that after I moved to sea level with him, I still wanted to commit suicide.

This seems like another dumb tax-payer subsidized study, wherein all anybody needs to do is ASK THE SUBJECTS. There are tons of suicide notes out there, that explain exactly why people kill themselves!

In my ex husband's fanatic TBM family, two cousins, a niece, and then my ex-father-in-law all committed suicide. According to their suicide letters, the Mormon church was the main factor. (BTW, they all lived near sea-level.)

Emanon said: "Even in the absence of mental illness, other research shows diminished oxygen at higher altitudes sometimes worsens a person's mood for up to 90 days."

Paintinginthwin said: "What if other peoples that live in higher altitude have evolved or developed larger lungs? I heard that's possible in Peru."

I and my family used to live in Calama, Chile, South America. It's about 2500m above sea level, and some of the nearby desert towns we visited topped 4000m. Peru borders Chile, and its altitude is even higher, which we were reminded of every time we vacationed there. Peruvians are quite barrel-chested because their lungs are larger to cope with the thin air in the mountains. It took well over 90 days for all of us to adjust to Chile's altitude, let alone Peru's. Healthy doses of coca tea helped out a lot, though. ;)

Flat as a pancake! Highest summit less than 561 ft. So there.

As an ex-Alaskan that spent 20 years there the Alaska suicide statistics are no surprise.

Alaska is a frozen shithole and nobody should ever go there for any reason.

OK less oxygen may have something to do with it
BUT what about weather? If I were snowed in all winter......and couldn't feel the warm sun and beautiful skies, I'm sure I'd be more suicidal.

That's why I live in S. CA.
And that's why I love Hawaii.

I do visit Colorado, Idaho and higher grounds but always return to my sea level dwelling.