Depression and your State

[aussieguy55]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-depressed-is-your-state/

Interesting diversity in states

[Calm]

Utah is definitely an anomaly...since this is a measure of medical claims and not direct surveys of depression, this means Utah has a high number of people seeking treatment for depression.  This could be simple a result of refusing to self medicate with alcohol or recreational drugs.

Quote

The data looks at medical claims from Blue Cross Blue Shield members from 2013 to 2016 and found a 33 percent jump in diagnosis of major depression over that time.

Quote

Millennials and teenagers have experienced the fastest climb in diagnosis rates, up 47 percent and 63 percent, respectively

This may be contributed to a great deal by depression becoming a more acceptable diagnosis for youth.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Calm

[stemelbow]

Utah has twice the rate of states immediately around them.  That’s depressing if you live here.  I don’t think This is one of those easily to explained away things (high elevation or Mormons don’t drink as much).  I’d guess complicated factors related to toxic culture from the church also play into it.  

[Jeanne]

I may be wrong..but our expectations of ourselves and our expectations of others in this State is way out there.  We are conditioned to be not only better..but different..unique and feel good about that.  Being the best is not good enough..we must excel.  In a communities we have levels that are judged..(not always intentionally) but mothers must excel..their children if they fail fall on their parents..they are depressed..the children are depressed. We live in neighborhoods or wards..whatever that flaunt their successes!  I was told that I was a bad mother because my children did not attend church..fail.  My children are still members who have friends that says they fail...fail.  It is an atmosphere that requires measurements of missionaries in the family..of Temple marriages...it all seems to make it do or die...a kind of God loves everyone...but you...you failed.   God help the young people who are gay in Utah.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Jeanne

[ksfisher]

31 minutes ago, stemelbow said:

Utah has twice the rate of states immediately around them.  That’s depressing if you live here.  I don’t think This is one of those easily to explained away things (high elevation or Mormons don’t drink as much).  I’d guess complicated factors related to toxic culture from the church also play into it.  

You get depressed reading stories about depression? 🙂

How does the church’s “toxic”culture play into the depression rates in MN, ME, and RI?  

 

Edited May 12, 2018 by ksfisher

[strappinglad]

If being under constant pressure to excel causes depression, then there must be high levels of depression in Asian communities , especially families with " Tiger Moms ". Any studies about this??

[ksfisher]

6 minutes ago, Jeanne said:

I may be wrong..but our expectations of ourselves and our expectations of others in this State is way out there.  We are conditioned to be not only better..but different..unique and feel good about that.  Being the best is not good enough..we must excel.  In a communities we have levels that are judged..(not always intentionally) but mothers must excel..their children if they fail fall on their parents..they are depressed..the children are depressed. We live in neighborhoods or wards..whatever that flaunt their successes!  I was told that I was a bad mother because my children did not attend church..fail.  My children are still members who have friends that says they fail...fail.  It is an atmosphere that requires measurements of missionaries in the family..of Temple marriages...it all seems to make it do or die...a kind of God loves everyone...but you...you failed.   God help the young people who are gay in Utah.

I’ve never felt any of that.  Apparently we live in two different Utahs.

[Jeanne]

Just now, ksfisher said:

I’ve never felt any of that.  Apparently we live in two different Utahs.

Guess so...

[Tacenda]

Could it be related to our problem with living in a bubble? Or wait, could it be the inversions we get year after year. Or could it be that we have high pollution? There are so many possibilities. Oh, thought of another, could it be that we feel like we are being judged or do we have to keep up with the Jones's? Or to look the part of being righteous enough? 

But that map is a strong distinction that separates us from those states surrounding us. Here's an article that may tie it to pollution.https://www.livescience.com/49863-suicide-air-pollution-inflammation.html

[Jeanne]

20 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Could it be related to our problem with living in a bubble? Or wait, could it be the inversions we get year after year. Or could it be that we have high pollution? There are so many possibilities. Oh, thought of another, could it be that we feel like we are being judged or do we have to keep up with the Jones's? Or to look the part of being righteous enough? 

But that map is a strong distinction that separates us from those states surrounding us. Here's an article that may tie it to pollution.https://www.livescience.com/49863-suicide-air-pollution-inflammation.html

Could be..so many other things.  But what is most prevalent in Utah..is ..mormonism and mormon legislature...and mormon judgement...I know this doesn't sound fair to anyone here..but think about it..it is a realityi..mix that with some Cache Valley air and woot...we don't stand a chance..!☺️

[Calm]

4 hours ago, Tacenda said:

There are so many possibilities. Oh, thought of another, could it be that we feel like we are being judged or do we have to keep up with the Jones's? Or to look the part of being righteous enough? 

But that map is a strong distinction that separates us from those states surrounding us. Here's an article that may tie it to pollution.https://www.livescience.com/49863-suicide-air-pollution-inflammation.html

Remember the map in the article is a measurement of medical claims...which can be affected by numbers of uninsured, tendencies of doctors to attribute symptoms to depression (I had a sleep disorder and for 20 plus years when I would go explain I was sleeping excessively but was tired all the time, every last doctor in the US and Canada I saw diagnosed me with depression, so it must be remembered not all diagnoses are correct, better to measure behaviour imo), self medication (including drugs and alcohol), and other multiple factors.

Measures of suicides or behaviours come up with different maps where Utah fits better with the surrounding states:

https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealthsurveillance/images.html

Edited May 12, 2018 by Calm

[bsjkki]

Anecdotally, I don't live in Utah but in Ward Council we were asked to provide 'hopeful' messages to the teenagers because in my ward a high number of them are in counseling, have anxiety and suicidal thoughts. 

[Calm]

14 minutes ago, bsjkki said:

Anecdotally, I don't live in Utah but in Ward Council we were asked to provide 'hopeful' messages to the teenagers because in my ward a high number of them are in counseling, have anxiety and suicidal thoughts. 

I would really be curious to be able to compare past years with what is occurring now, but I think that is impossible.  4 out of five teens in my family had depression and severe anxiety as teens that would have qualified them for counseling and possibly medical treatment.  I would say it was genetic (looking at the extended family and hearing stories of great grandparents) and contextual (my parents had high academic standards but little emotional or physical support for that area of endeavor due to my mother's health and my dad being required to work long hours as well).  So I wonder if the greatest difference is not in the feelings, but how they are responded to by adults around the youth.  My parents' response was to push for more physical activity ( counterproductive in my case due to sleep disorder) and better nutrition...which led to overall healthiness, but not sure how much it helped with emotional health.  I saw a lot of depression and anxiety in the kids around me at school (California and Illinois in 60s and 70s), none of them said they were in counseling though it is possible it just wasn't talked about.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Calm

[Storm Rider]

6 hours ago, stemelbow said:

Utah has twice the rate of states immediately around them.  That’s depressing if you live here.  I don’t think This is one of those easily to explained away things (high elevation or Mormons don’t drink as much).  I’d guess complicated factors related to toxic culture from the church also play into it.  

and yet Utah was not cited in the article.  Hmm,

[gopher]

I live near a city ( in a state rated a 3 on the map) that declared one weekend a 'don't kill anyone" weekend.  And they couldn't make it the 72 hours.  But I'm sure Utah is a more depressing place to live.

[clarkgoble]

On 5/12/2018 at 2:12 AM, Calm said:

Utah is definitely an anomaly...since this is a measure of medical claims and not direct surveys of depression, this means Utah has a high number of people seeking treatment for depression.  This could be simple a result of refusing to self medicate with alcohol or recreational drugs.

This may be contributed to a great deal by depression becoming a more acceptable diagnosis for youth.

I suspect the tendency in the culture to solve problems contributes. I suspect the rate of depression is more similar to say Colorado but that the culture here puts a premium on getting better. 

I'm not saying that's all that's going on. But I think the simplistic answers don't typically work. No one knows for sure. Some have suggested post pardum depression contributing with a higher incidence due to the state's (and especially Mormon) large families. Some have raised LGBT issues although I think that's a harder connection to make. 

I'd love to know what percentage of Utah medical plans versus Colorado offer mental health coverage too. That makes it easier to get anti-depressants.

My worry is actually that in Utah anti-depressants are viewed as a silver bullet rather than a part of larger treatment including therapy. I also think there's a tendency to get on mental health drugs when they really aren't necessary and may even be problematic. (This is especially true of ADHD not just depression)

[Calm]

 

Quote

My worry is actually that in Utah anti-depressants are viewed as a silver bullet rather than a part of larger treatment including therapy. I also think there's a tendency to get on mental health drugs when they really aren't necessary and may even be problematic. (This is especially true of ADHD not just depression)

This is definitely possible.  Getting into a therapist is more than a three month wait in many cases.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Calm

[SteveO]

Didn’t we have a thread not too long ago on how everything is supposed to be getting better?  And yet here we have upticks of 47% and 63% in depression rates among millennials and teenagers...those are pretty dramatic increases—there has to be another explanation other than its becoming more socially acceptable to seek help.

[Tacenda]

5 minutes ago, SteveO said:

Didn’t we have a thread not too long ago on how everything is supposed to be getting better?  And yet here we have upticks of 47% and 63% in depression rates among millennials and teenagers...those are pretty dramatic increases—there has to be another explanation other than its becoming more socially acceptable to seek help.

Recently I saw this on the news. I've heard of copycat suicides, but not sure why there were so many at this Herriman high school in, it looks like only a year, there were 5 different ones. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/04/04/were-racking-our-brains-a-series-of-teen-suicides-has-left-the-herriman-high-school-community-searching-for-answers/

I'm so worried for the youth of this day and age. I'm sure my grandparents or parents said the same thing. Is it getting worse now though? My family visited me for Mother's Day and my grandsons were watching some youtubes of the game Fortnight. I guess it's big out there. But I was so depressed watching them watching it. I had previously wanted to buy one of those 5 in 1 games or something akin to it, a table that had ping pong, pool, air soft hockey etc. And it dawned on me that they probably wouldn't even play it. I even asked one of them if they would like it vs. video games etc. And they pretty much said they preferred the video games. 

Not sure if this is hurting our youth, but I'm so worried. Didn't want to be a doomsdayer but almost felt it today. And of course Mother's Day has never been my favorite day of the year, always feeling like I didn't do a very good job and beat myself up over it. 

[The Nehor]

Being around ex-Mormons is depressing and Utah has a lot of them. That is how I choose to read the data and it has as much support as the Mormons are depressed due to high expectations theory. Checkmate!

[SteveO]

40 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Being around ex-Mormons is depressing and Utah has a lot of them. That is how I choose to read the data and it has as much support as the Mormons are depressed due to high expectations theory. Checkmate!

Well...ex Mormons in Utah tend to be some of the most obnoxious and insufferable people in existence...

[mfbukowski]

I have always suspected Utah was a state of depression. 

  🤨

(ducking for cover.....) 

[aussieguy55]

I saw an item recently that taking antidepressant medication may increase the possibility of developing dementia. I think I will stick to good food, company and exercise.

[Calm]

Exercise and good food excellent, but if one is too depressed to move it is hard to do both.  And being in company can be quite painful.

[Bernard Gui]

I get depressed whenever I visit Seattle and Portland. The oppressive spirit there is palpable. It always lifts my spirits to see them recede in my rear view mirror.

Seriously, our family has been blessed with the depression gene for generations. It has nothing to do with the Church. If anything, the Church (ie., the Gospel) has proven to be a great help in helping us to recognize and deal with it.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Bernard Gui