Utahns think about suicide more than other Americans, study shows

SALT LAKE CITY — One in 15 Utah adults seriously considered suicide in the past year, the highest rate in the nation, according to a new report.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found 6.8 percent of Utahns ages 18 and older had suicidal thoughts. Georgia had the lowest rate in the country at 2.1 percent, or 1 in 50 adults. The report is the first to present state-level data regarding suicidal thoughts and behavior among adults in the United States.

Mental health professionals didn't have ready answers for Utah's ranking.

"As I looked at the study, it was really hard to come up with any conclusions," said John Malouf, a Valley Mental Health psychologist with 37 years experience. "There was nothing really obvious like of course this state or this region would have a higher rate of suicidal thinking because of this or because of that."

The CDC study, based on data from the 2008-09 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, attempts to look at suicide in the planning stages. It found that young adults ages 18 to 29 had the highest rate of suicidal thoughts, planning and attempts.

"It points out the difference between suicidal thinking and suicidal behavior," Malouf said. "People who complete suicide have thought about it. A lot of people think about suicide who would never actually do it.

The prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts was significantly higher among women than  men, according to the study. That proved true in Utah where the report found 8.1 percent of women and 5.6 percent of men contemplated taking their lives.

One reason Utanns might be thinking about it may have something to do with the economic downturn, said Lenora Olson, director of the Intermountain Injury Control Research Center at the University of Utah.

"Utah did not have a good year this year," she said.

Suicide rates have consistently been higher in Western states, especially the Rocky Mountain states, including Utah.

In the CDC report, which looked at nonfatal behavior, the pattern was mixed: adults in the Midwest and West were more likely to have thoughts of suicide than those in the Northeast and South. Adults in the Midwest were more likely to have made suicide plans than those in the South, and suicide attempts did not vary by region.

The study showed 1.5 percent of Utahns planned to commit suicide, while .5 percent attempted it. The former is slightly higher than the national average; the latter is at the national average.