Utah researcher: theory of religious influences in Utah LGBT suicides may be overblown

Attributing all Utah youth suicides, or even all Utah LGBT youth suicides, directly to religion is certainly overstating things, and it frustrates me when people do that.

To say there's no connection though is to show either willful disregard or outright callousness to a vulnerable set of individuals in some serious pain. The Church teaches family is one of the most important things in this life, doesn't it? For many LGBT+ persons in the Church, the expectation for them is they should deliberately avoid participating in that sacred, vital part of life--and at the same time, they're told this life-long trial they must bear will be made up to them, made right, made perfect in the hereafter.

Is it any wonder that some people decide the best solution is to end that lifelong trial early? Should responsibility for such a decision be laid solely on the shoulders of those who bear a burden like that? Can the Church take no responsibility in teaching a more uplifting outlook on life?

[removed]

[removed]

[removed]

Yes, we should always do better.

Of course, but that's not the point of the article. We can always do better to be more understanding of our LGBT brothers and sisters, but the article (and data) is not meant to comment on the specific aspects religious folks could improve upon. Just whether or not religion as a whole has influence on LGBT suicide in Utah.

Utah does have a high suicide rate, but so do all of the states along the Rockies, because higher elevations lead to higher depression rate, which in turn bumps up the suicide rate. Unfortunately, at high altitudes, antidepressants also aren’t as effective as they are at lower altitudes, which means that even if you are able to get help, it can take longer to find a dosage that actually works on you.

We’re also landlocked, so fresh seafood is more expensive than it is along the coasts, and seafood helps lower depression rates. We also have a lot of citizens with shared DNA, and depression is often genetic. And we have a lot of people on a fixed budget in our state due to there often only being one source of income. This means that organic, non-processed foods are more expensive and often not available to those who are depressed and need it (this is similar to why poorer people are often more obese than wealthier people, because healthy food is more expensive than boxed, canned, or frozen foods). The weather is also a factor. And we have laxer gun laws than many other states, so it’s easier to actually succeed when you attempt it. So, there are a lot of reasons why the suicide rate is high in Utah.

Utah doesn’t include sexuality as part of their suicide statistics, so there’s no official data on how many of those suicides involve LGBTQ people. It’s entirely anecdotal, especially in teen suicides, as many LGBTQ teens aren't fully out yet. Critics like to look at the high teen suicide rate here and assume that they’re all LGBTQ people, when that isn’t even remotely true, and then they assume that our church must be the only cause, which also has no actual data backing it up.

In fact, studies have shown that the more religious LGBTQ teens are, the less likely they are to commit suicide than their non-religious counterparts, and that the more actively Latter-day Saint they are, that number drops even further. Those studies have been posted on this sub before if you wanted to search for them.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a suicide problem or that our LGBTQ youth aren’t in danger of high depression/suicide rates. We all know that’s not true. But blaming it solely on the church without any official evidence at all to back that up is ridiculous. Studies in Utah have shown that better suicide prevention in our schools drops the teen suicide rates dramatically every time they’re introduced, and every time the state reduces the funding and halts the programs, the rates rise again. That’s something worth investing in.

In 2017 Utah had the 6th highest suicide rates in the US according to the CDC.

​

First of all, I recommend reading this talk. Please don’t think you are actually expected to be perfect as a mortal being.

Second, no, I don’t have a theory of my own. I shared this article purely for the facts it presents. I can’t pretend to know more than the researcher quoted in the article.

I read a research paper a while back that discussed one possibility. The researchers looked at suicide rates across the country, and then looked at elevation of the different areas that were measured to see if there was a correlation. What they found was that at around 2000 feet above sea level, suicide rates jumped dramatically. They had some theories as to why that might be, and clearly more research needs to be done to see how strong the correlation is, but it does provide a possible explanation.

It doesn't seem very fair to blame the church for not having enough serotonin in our brains. (I've got severe depression and anxiety.) While in the past, my beliefs did cause me severe anxiety and depression, it's how I interpreted them. I now find my beliefs give me hope, strength, and dispel negativity.

It seems disingenuous at worst, and an incomplete picture at best to blame the church for depression. Especially since depression exists outside the church.

When interpreting statistics like suicide rates, automatically assuming it has to do with the Church is called "correlation without causation" unless a definitive and well done study can be done linking the two. Such a study might be out there, but the popular media seems content making poor assumptions without one.

While depression is not necessarily hereditary, having an immediate relative with depression does make it 2-3 times more likely you can have it. Something like this is a much simpler and more grounded explanation than the unsupported straw-man claims of the church causing all or much of the suicide in Utah.

Does the Church need to do better? Sure. And I think they try. We as a body need better education on depression and suicide. And prevention.

It's anecdotal, but if anything, the Church kept me from following through on my darkest times - which were recent. So did my kids.

This is so true. Even researchers/analysts with the expert competence are facing these challenges. They choose models and make assumptions the best they can. Then the media write about it but this is way over their heads, so they simplify and make further assumptions. Then the reader of the article interprets what is written and thinks "science has proven that..."