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Utah/Statistical claims/Suicide rate among Mormons
< Utah | Statistical claims
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Criticism
Critics charge that the suicide rate in Utah is higher than the national average, and that this demonstrates the being a Latter-day Saint is psychologically unhealthy.
Source(s) of the criticism
Response
As is often the case, critics do not tell the whole story.
The data underlying this attack come from U.S. death data. Studies using ICD-10 codes X60-X84, Y87.0 have been extracted by state. In 2002, Utah ranked #13 in the nation for number of suicides per 100,000 people in the population.[1]
Geographic differences
The critics do not tell us, however, that it has long been recognized that the north western United States has higher suicide rates than the rest of the country. The reason for this is not clear, though numerous theories have been advanced.[2]
The critics also do not tell us that of the Western states, Utah has almost the lowest suicide rate:
| State | Rank (1 is worst) | Suicide rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 1 | 21.1 |
| Alaska | 2 | 20.5 |
| Oregon | 11 | 14.7 |
| Montana | 3 | 20.2 |
| Idaho | 9 | 15.2 |
| New Mexico | 5 | 18.8 |
| Nevada | 4 | 19.5 |
| Arizona | 6 | 16.2 |
| Colorado | 7 | 16.1 |
| Washington | 17 | 13.4 |
Note that of all these states, only Washington is less than Utah. West Virginia and Vermont also outstrip Utah's suicide rate.
The role of religion
Critics hope that by condemning Utah, readers will condemn the LDS Church, which is associated with Utah, and the most numerous religion.
However, government studies on suicide rate do not cite religion or spiritual beliefs. One cannot extrapolate from these data and presume that the LDS population is the "reason" for the higher suicide rates. Since the suicide rates are lower than the surrounding north western states, one could just as easily conclude that the LDS Church protects against suicide!
Conclusion
Endnotes
- [3] K.D. Kochanek, S.L. Murphy, R.N. Anderson, C. Scott "Deaths: Final data for 2002. National Vital Statistics Reports," 53(5).
(2004), Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2005-1120. (p. 92, Table 29) [data are by place of residence].