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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. Renshaw
A 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 |
"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 |
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.
E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com
