I suffer from chronic pain. I believe this is a vital step to take because unless you experience constant chronic (in my case, nerve pain) you can't comprehend the effect it can and does have on people's lives. I truly belive that several of the deaths were intentional based on my own experience and I am a person who would NEVER have thought I could become suicidal. If family members could learn to be more understanding and seek a more broad range of treatment, I belive these numbers would go down. Thanks

". . . to get answers to questions not only regarding the prescription-related overdose deaths, but also the state's high suicide rate."

What a joke! They have had the answers for decades, but do not want to admit it because it would cost the drug industry too much money.

The answer is that Utah has always been the highest users of antidepressants and because of that they have a high suicide rate. I have worked to warn for nearly two decades and the discoverer of the serotonin binding process that made the drugs possible came out against them a decade ago calling them "monsters" that she is alarmed to have had anything to do with their development. Now the FDA has joined us warning of double the rate of suicide for anyone under 25, but is anyone listening yet? NO!

The FDA went on this year to add suicide warnings to anti-seizure medications - medications given after antidepressants trigger manic reactions leading to a bipolar diagnosis.

The high suicide rate is simple math. Why waste yet another year studying it while hundreds more die? (Pain meds are also serotonergic and often are prescribed with antidepressants when they NEVER should be!)

Instead of drugs try Scientology. It works for depression and every other mental problem, too.
Herbs and proper nutrition are very good for these troubles, too.
And if you do not know that there are better alternatives to pain medication that can cure your problem, then you are purposely hiding your head in the sand.