Why Are Suicides More Common in the West?

By Christie Aschwanden, 3-14-05

When Hunter S. Thompson shot himself to death on February 20th, he became one of five suicide deaths in the Roaring Fork Valley in the span of just two months. In fact, the West has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in the rate of suicides. All five states with the highest suicide rates—Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico—lie west of the Mississippi and western states comprise seven of the ten states with the highest rates of suicide, with Oregon and Utah close behind in a tie for 11th place. Colorado, where Thompson ended his life last month, ranks 7th, with 16.1 suicides per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 11.0.

At first glance, the stats seem counter-intuitive, given the West's reputation as the place that people move to when they quit their city jobs in search of a better quality of life. But experts say that the big skies, open spaces and low population density can also foster feelings of isolation. Furthermore, people in the rural West may be less likely to seek help for depression, the number one risk factor for suicide. "In a small town, if you park your pickup in front of a therapist’s office, everyone knows it’s you inside," one suicide prevention coordinator told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. For someone living in a small town, getting help might require a long drive, something that could be insurmountable for the severely depressed.

Still, people all over America fall into clinical depressions, yet most don't resort to killing themselves to end their pain. But why some depressed people commit suicide and others don't remains a mystery. Experts do have a few clues, however. It turns out that news of someone else's suicide seems to push some people over the edge.

According to the America Association of Suicidology, "suicide contagion is real." They say that the suicides increase when the media gives extensive coverage to a particular suicide, especially if news of an individual suicide is placed on the front page of a newspaper or the start of a tv news broadcast.

In other words, exactly the kind of play that Thompson's suicide received. Will Thompson's death perpetuate the cycle? Here's hoping the answer is no. [End of article]