Deseret News | Study aims to identify Utahns' ups, downs

Reader comments
Study aims to identify Utahns' ups, downs

Frederick Gerard Gene Depardeu | 3:01 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

It is called denial or they are on really good antidepressants.

John Charity Spring | 4:07 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

The reason why Utahns are reporting that they are depressed is obvious: too many have abandoned the traditional values that lead to happiness. Instead of following the values that made this Country great, such as honesty, hard work, and self-sacrifice, too many have chosen to follow the message of modern Hollywood that greed, immorality, and substance abuse are desireable attributes. Following these modern values only leads to depression and unhappiness.

Former Utahn | 4:19 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

I can only speak from my personal experience, but I was the happiest I'd ever been and also the most depressed (suicidal) I'd ever been while in Utah. It had to do with my perceptions of living up to expectations ... set by me, by my family, by my job and by my church. With so many "wonderful examples" living around me, I was both inspired and discouraged. I can see how this phenomenon can be. :-)

Comments continue below

Weather | 4:34 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

Sometimes the weather inside is a function of the weather outside. The Rocky Mountain States are, Surprise, in the Rocky Mountains. Cold and inversions in the winter, less direct sunlight year round due to shadows from the hills.

MS | 4:38 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

I'm fairly depressed after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The disease has a very high occurrence in Utah, for some reason. Just saying.

Beauford Francilla Goodyear | 4:39 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

Ah, good ol John CHarity Spring and the mobile Family values patrol. Sorry John, many of these people feel depressed because they are taking too much on, especially church callings and not balancing their lives. Why do you think the First Presidency keep telling LDS members to balance their church callings with family first?

Former Utahn #2 | 4:40 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

So--"John Charity Spring'---why do you have the name "charity" in your name? Cause that is NOT what you have. Mental illness is not solely related to "sin"---as you make the assumption in your comment. I, and plenty of other LDS Utahns have been seriously depressed (in UT and elsewhere), with no relation to a "sin" as you assume. It is THAT assumption that keeps people depressed and untreated in UT!!!!

Here's a few hints: People in UT get approx. 10 less minutes of light in both the morning and at night---especially those who live in valley floors. This is not including the constant pollution, smoke, and inversion ya'll live in. This decrease in light is caused CAUSE OF THE MOUNTAINS!!! Less light = more depression. Once I moved somewhere without mountains, I noticed a difference in "mood" immediately!

Second hint: Agreed with the first former Utahn who commented: too much perfection, and too many culturally related assumptions = both joy (not cause of them, but despite them) and depression.

Third: The #1 reason why depression is so high in UT is because of the assumption that mental health and appropriate treatment for it is wrong.

Anonymous | 4:48 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

I've got it. The mormons are the happiest and the non-mormons are the most depressed. This explains the high numbers in both categories.

jhs | 6:05 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

I know too many young Mormon women who are having difficulties. They are committed to their church but do have a hard time having so many children, taking care of them (and themselves) while filfilling many other obligations. Almost all of them go to a physician (a Mormon male)and get anti-depressant medications. For most, this seems to help them 'hold it togehter' and for others it makes a really positive difference (from what I've seen). I'm only talking about a small group of aquaintences and friends in Utah Country (maybe 10-15 people) but the pattern in striking.

Anonymous | 6:42 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

I remember Barbara B. Smith, the General Relief Society president giving an hour long interview on tv entitled Mormon Women and Depression. This was over 30 years ago. She said that for some, unrealistic expectations and goals contributed to it. I agree. I have a dear friend who would iron her 5 year olds t-shirts for fear of what her neighbors would think. I felt such relief when I moved to Cali to find that Mormon women here are much more realistic. Soooo refreshing.

Anne | 6:53 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

My HONEST thoughts on this..
I believe the happy people are happy because they are doing right and following God. They love their families and are kind neighbors. The sad people... Quite a few reasons. Some, because they feel terrible in that they've committed some sins (God STILL loves you, even if you do a few wrong things.). Others... depression. And still others, environment, nature/nurture...etc. etc. Anyone and every person can be horribly sad somewhere/anywhere. It's kind of like... How we always remember insults and forget compliments. How "No news is good news.". We don't keep in touch unless there's a death in the family... Heck, half my extended family didn't even hear about my brother's WEDDING. There was a funeral.. we all got together and it was "Oh hi!" I'm Jason... and this is my wife, Andrea.. "Wait, what?!" It's easier to be sad. But I do strongly believe that Utah has some of the happiest individuals on Earth.

Drederick Tatum | 7:16 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

John Charity Spring, you talk like someone who belives he is perfect with all the perfect solutions. You will find that even good intentioned temple worthy people are depressed. If this was not the case, you wouldn't hear it addressed at every conference. You wouldn't hear the First Presidency tell husbands to better take care of their wives and help with the children. It is probably people like you that let your spouse suffer in silence and you assume everything is just fine.

Waist of time | 10:24 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

UVU Doing research?
hope this study was not tax payer funded. A waist of time and money. Do research on something that will create jobs or new types of energy.

um did you not read it | 11:28 p.m. Sept. 23, 2009

there is no correlation (much less causation) that can be inferred between the level of religiosity and depression. The article talks about a high level of perfectionism perhaps being one of the leading factors. You will note from the article that perfectionism is correlated strongly with STUDENTS throughout the country. If you look at the number of students that are here in Utah and particularly in Utah county, the numbers are high enough to cause some skew in any measure (Utah county has 2 LARGE universities plus other institutions of higher learning). From the reading it would make better sense to make the fundamental attribution error about being a student an depression not religiosity and depression!

Jack Sheppard | 7:16 a.m. Sept. 24, 2009

Even the happiest people become depressed once in awhile. But being clinically depressed is something different. I feel that doctors probably over-prescribe anti-depressants here in Utah.

Social pressures | 7:59 a.m. Sept. 24, 2009

As a non-LDS person with many LDS friends who often tell me about their challenges of living the LDS life, it is interesting to hear of the high expectations put upon them via social expectations -- from the need to have your kids go to foreign countries for missions, to saving up for all their kids' missions, to keeping up with the Joneses in terms of "material blessings," to making sure their daughters are married by a certain age, to maintaining homes with appropriate crafts and decor driving by Relief Society homemaking meetings, to pressures at work where bosses and executives within a company are also bishops and church leaders, so that the work demands and expectations are blurred with church demands.

The stories one hears of "hiding" the pregnancies of out-of-wedlock daughters and giving the children up for adoption to keeping alcoholism of ranking LDS leaders out of local gossip simply tells me of the great lengths Utahns take to keep up the appearance of perfect lives. Life's stressful as it is, but to have this added pressure of "being" perfect simply adds to the pressure -- and depression.

Matthew | 8:55 a.m. Sept. 24, 2009

Here's a simple explanation: Being around happy people is depressing! Clearly an over simplification, but the contrast between one's perception of one's own life compared to the that same person's perception of other's lives can clearly be a factor.
As to the mountains theory, I have exactly the opposite response. I struggle with depression when I live away from the mountains.
Maybe we all need to put more effort into living where, and doing what, makes us contented instead of letting society's pointless expectations push us around. Having society tell us to not hurt others is approriate. Having society tell us that we have to have that $100 piece of clothing to be happy is not appropriate nor healthy. As for LDS society, their is a big difference between the actual teachings of the church and gospel and the social pressures that the social group superimposes on those teachings. (Probably true of most religions and organizations)

CDM | 2:13 p.m. Sept. 24, 2009

I think my depression is caused by LDS looking down on me because I no longer attend church. It's by my own choice not to attend church meetings, and the neighborhood members who snob me now need to learn to deal with their hatred and bad feelings, and quit tearing me down to others, who do report back to me the awful things said behind my back. I am a VERY virtuous person and live a good life, but do not have a testimony of Mormonism.

RE: Weather | 3:18 p.m. Sept. 24, 2009

Weather and Former Utahn #2: Where are you comparing weather to? The inversions in winter are depressing--but where I grew up in the midwest, we had hundreds of cloudy days year-round, even in the summer. That typically is only a winter phenomenon here. It was quite depressing at times. No matter if you had 2 hours less light per day due to the mountains, it's far more depressing to not have any sun at all for days on end. Maybe it's just me, but having lived most of my life in places without mountains, I think the sunrise and sunset over the mountain peaks is more beautiful and uplifting than any I've ever seen. The mountains do make the polluted air much more evident though, and perhaps prevent it from clearing out as quickly.

Lymon DeKoquonut | 3:55 p.m. Sept. 24, 2009

UVU: the high school after high school.

Ed | 4:16 p.m. Sept. 24, 2009

Hey, people, Quit worrying and being depressed about nothing. Go take the dog for a walk and be happy--CHEERS!

Kelsea | 5:16 p.m. Sept. 24, 2009

I think that depression and happiness can be based on MANY things. For example, the weather, your friends and family, the media, school and whatever else it may be. This is a topic that we mustn't blame on other people/things or certain religions. Their intentions of teaching others to live righteously are not to bring others down, or to threaten others. In my opinion, it would be good if we all could forget about ourselves and be happy! Just be glad that you are at least living! Don't be pessimistic, but optimistic in all things. I admit, I do get down on myself and feel a bit depressed, but I get over it, and we all can do that too! Live and be happy! Live every day to the fullest, because you will never have the same day twice:)

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