Suicide in Utah

22 October

2010 Suicide in Utah:

“About One per Day”

Every couple of years I write an article on the basic vital stats of Utah with the main focus being the high suicide rate that seem to plague the Intermountain West.

http://lifeafterministry.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/suicide-in-utah-2010

Today my Google alert sent me to an article in the Mormon owned newspaper, Deseret News on the latest studies of suicide in the nation.

Once again Utah ranks at the very top of a not so glamorous list.  They ranked first in the nation for the number of people who contemplate suicide.  The report said that 1 out of 15 people seriously think about taking their own life while Georgia came in last at 1 out of every 50.

The author of the article, Dennis Romboy said; “Also, in 2008-09 there were 827 completed suicides, about one per day. Utah had an overall suicide rate of 16 per 100,000 population for that time period.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705392958/Utahns-think-about-suicide-more-than-other-Americans-study-shows.html?pg=1

This subject matter brings me to my knees like nothing else can.  My heart hurts beyond what words can say when it comes to this.  Loving a god and living a life shouldn’t take you down the road to self-destruction.  The God of the Bible values your very life and cherishes His creation.

While the experts in Utah and elsewhere try another year to figure out what causes this phenomenon in Utah, let’s pray they see the truth.

In my article I wrote about the studies performed by John Hopkins which clearly described that 60% of suicides were committed by members of the LDS Church.  Whether they were active or not if rather irrelevant, as the common denominator is association with the Church.  Do I think that being a Mormon is always the cause?  Absolutely not.  Nor do I believe that it’s a good idea to just throw the theory out the window that Mormonism has nothing to do with it.  It’s obvious there are many factors that play into the each decision and to candy-coat the truth is irresponsible.

Please, pray for these people and if you know a Mormon, be kind, but truthful.

With Love in Christ, Michelle

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