Suicide and geographic location

[scottmandue]

This is kind of a dark subject but we seem to have a lot of heavy talk on PPOT today so I will throw this out there.

About ten years ago my work sent me to Portland OR. for a two week installation, worked with a great crew of guys and we all went out for beers after work (it is Portland after all). In casual conversation it comes up that many of the guys know one or more people that have committed suicide. At the time it seemed a little odd but I wrote it off as luck of the draw.

About six years ago I go up to Portland to visit an old high school buddy... he introduces me to a lady he knows... the lady and I hit it off... we do the long distance relationship for a couple years then we got married and she moved down to SoCal.
Last night she gets a text that a friends spouse killed themselves... she looks at me and says "that is seven people I know that have killed themselves." my wife is 50 years old.

I'm 57 and sort of know three people (my bother and a close friend that past away prematurely due to drugs/alcohol) and one of my brothers friends who flat out killed himself (gun).

I will limit my observation's to the two cities, Portland seems to be full of happy friendly people. I'm sure it has its dark side but generally seems to be a upbeat town

I have lived my whole life in Los Angeles, we have our share of nice people but it is a big hard city that will crush you like a bug.

Obviously a big factor between the two is weather, SoCal has sunshine 3/4 of the time Vs Portlandia gets sunshine 1/3 of the time.

Makes me wonder...

[Joe Bob]

Check the stats for Alaska.....

[widgeon13]

Good stab but I don't think wx is a factor, only from a joking perspective. I often refer to wx in upstate NY as suicide wx. We get long stretches of **** weather and it does get depressing but I'm still here.

I have known at least four folks who have found it impossible to cope and took the easy way out. I, on the other hand will stay until I have the job done.

[scottmandue]

Yeah, I guess I should dig up some stats... I did a couple jobs in Boston. Same story, great bunch of guys/gals and went out for beers after work... but no suicide stories.

[Nostril Cheese]

Happy friendly people is one of the reasons I moved here from LA. It is all your perspective on things.

Let me know when you're here. We can go jam.

[look 171]

do you think its a big city problem? I am under the impression it happens less in smaller towns. I could be dead wrong on this, what do think?

Now that you mention this, some how we all seem to know someone that know someone that committed suicide. I can remember two. Does it really happen that often?

[Heel n Toe]

Facts and Figures

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00049117.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6001a11.htm

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by look 171

do you think its a big city problem? I am under the impression it happens less in smaller towns. I could be dead wrong on this, what do think?

Now that you mention this, some how we all seem to know someone that know someone that committed suicide. I can remember two. Does it really happen that often?

That is why it creeped me out a little last night when my wife announced that she know SEVEN people that have taken that way out!

Looking at the stats at suicide.org (even more creepy) for 2004

By state:
Alaska #1
Montana & Nevada tied at #2

Oregon #10
Calif. #42

N.J. #48
Mass. #49
N.Y. #50
and... wait for it... D.C. is #51

[wdfifteen]

It is an interesting paradox that areas with the highest reporting of happiness also have high suicide rates. Scandinavia comes to mind. Denmark has god-awful weather (I have seen it hail on a sunny day) and high suicide rates, but also some of the happiest populations in the world.

[motion]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Montana & Nevada tied at #2

I have to jump in and defend Montana...

People mostly live in Montana because they want to be there for various reasons. They are therefore very happy and satisfied that they are living in Montana. These people are not killing themselves.

Montana has a very high population of Native Americans. This population has extremely high alcoholism/drug/suicide rates. That is what is reflected when you see Montana's high suicide rate.

[Tobra]

I personally know several people from the Portland area that I went to college with that killed themselves. There couple that owned the house I rented the last year I went to college moved from Salem to Portland. The husband killed himself in March.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a B

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I personally know several people from the Portland area that I went to college with that killed themselves. There couple that owned the house I rented the last year I went to college moved from Salem to Portland. The husband killed himself in March.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a B

I get that... when I met my wife... "I take vitamin D because I don't get enough sunshine."

Me, (SoCal boy)



However, look at the stats for the north east (NY, NJ, Mass.) the weather data is all over the place but isn't fair to say they are getting the same approximately 1/3 sunny days a year?
Why are they not suffering from S.A.D.?

[motion]

Maybe there's a difference from just general cloudiness (east coast) to being "socked in" (PNW)?

[jcommin]

New Trier HS in Winnetka, IL has at least 1 suicide a year. Common knowledge.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by motion

I have to jump in and defend Montana...

Montana has a very high population of Native Americans. This population has extremely high alcoholism/drug/suicide rates. That is what is reflected when you see Montana's high suicide rate.

Possibly but what makes Montana Native Americans suicide more than other states? South Dakota has a higher relative percentage of Native American population than Montana but a lower overall suicide rate. I can't imagine that the alcoholism incidence is much different but don't have those numbers and if so, why the difference? So. Dak reservations were pretty bleak places when I lived in the state.

Where are those boys from Freakonomics when you need them?

[varmint]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Check the stats for Alaska.....

tremendous problem out in the native villages.

then there are the "end of the roaders"

people are running from something, often from themselves. they get to alaska and it's the end of the road. nothing left to do but walk into the woods with a gun. happens all the time.

[jyl]

Way way back when I was picking my next school, University of Washington (Seattle) sent me a booklet about preparing for law school, that included a whole chapter on how to avoid committing suicide. I went to UCLA instead.

[Laneco]

Originally Posted by Tobra

...Seasonal Affective Disorder is a B

Indeed. I take 4,000 (yes, four THOUSAND) IU of D3 per day. Bloodwork had indicated I was severely deficient. Enough at risk for the doctor to discuss taking vitamin D in an injected form until I was leveled out. I opted for controlled sunlight exposure and vitamin supplements. 20 minutes of sun exposure in shorts/tank no sunscreen can equate to 10,000 plus IU of vitamin D. Could not get enough D in the system with controlled sun light exposure (winter) and wound up going to a tanning booth a couple of times a week for a month. Once I got sorted out, just the vitamins alone keep me square. Its not just to make you feel good, the Vitamin D is also important to quite a few body functions including bone density, preventing heart attacks and protection from certain types of cancer.

Tired, depressed, etc., and could not shake it. Absolutely felt like every day was a dead end tunnel and that I was doomed to walk to the end of hit, smack into the wall, and start the same routine the next day. I know quite a few people whose lives are touched by it. Several of them in Alaska where they have grow lights in the house during the winter to combat the lack of sun.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is the real deal. Not everyone who is deficient of vitamin D (as I was) will have SAD, but the two often go hand in hand. By taking care of my severe vitamin D deficiency, I keep SAD completely at bay.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002499/


angela

[flipper35]

I have two classmates and one younger class man that committed suicide before they graduated. Sara was in 8th grade, Brian was a sophomore and Frank was a sophomore the first attempt and tried again successfully a couple years later.

Upper mid-west and a town of about 1200. I graduated with 86 in my class.