 Bar graph comparing the suicide rates in Idaho versus those in the US from 1996-2006. Graph created by Allison Page.
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The suicide of Cristina Reed, a Sun Valley woman who jumped from the Perrine Bridge into the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls on July 4, rattled many in the Wood River Valley. It also left people wondering: What causes anyone to commit suicide, and how common is such a tragedy—in the United States, in Idaho and even in Blaine County?
Suicide is a major public health problem across the United States. Each year on average more than 31,000 Americans kill themselves—that makes for one suicide every 16 minutes, or 88 suicides per day. There are also at least 1.4 million recorded suicide attempts per year.
When it comes to high suicide rates, the state of Idaho is no exception.
According to an annual report from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho and other northwest states historically have some of the highest suicide rates in the nation.
Over the past fifteen years, while the mortality rate in Idaho has been at least one percentage point lower than the national mortality rate (between 7.1 and 7.9 for Idaho compared to between 8.1 and 8.9 for the U.S.), the suicide rate has been consistently higher in Idaho.
In 1990, the suicide rate in Idaho was so high that it soared above the national average by 60 percent. The trend has only decreased slightly—In 2005 Idaho had the 7th highest suicide rate in the nation in 2005. The rate that year was 45 percent higher than the national average.
Blaine County is also not immune to the problem.
The Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho (SPAN Idaho) reported that over the course of five years, from 2002-2006, Blaine County had 19 deaths by suicide or about 4 suicides per year, making a rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people. The community lost six members to suicide in 2003, four members in 2004 and five members in 2005. In 2006, there were 71 deaths in Blaine County, and one was a suicide.
To put these numbers in perspective: while the county boasts the lowest death rate of any of Idaho's counties, individuals who live in Blaine County are more likely to die from suicide than homicide or HIV/AIDS.
More disturbing perhaps is that experts on suicide prevention believe these numbers are skewed. According to SPAN of Idaho, there is no uniform procedure for reporting suicide. For instance, sometimes the coroner may choose not to report the death as suicide in deference to relatives' requests. As a result, some believe the numbers could be off by as much as 25 percent.
The good news is that suicide can by prevented, as it is often the result of a misdiagnosed or untreated mental illness.
According to the National Institute for Mental Health, more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have depression or another diagnosable mental illness or substance addiction.
Doctor Joann Sorento, a licensed clinical psychologist in Ketchum, says a major component of suicide is depression.
"Sometimes people think it is just alcohol that causes suicide, but really I think it is other drugs and/or alcohol that works as an agent to depression," Sorento said.
"Depression is also often under-diagnosed and it is usually secondary to another disorder, like a mood or personality disorder or some kind of addiction," Sorento said. "So people often have a dual-diagnosis, one that includes an organic mental illness such a bipolar disorder along with substance abuse. The two rarely stand alone, but instead always ride a double rail. When they go untreated these dual diseases are often a fatal combination."
The case of Cristina Reed matches Sorento's analysis. According to her father, Travis Reed, Reed suffered from bipolar disorder as well as a history of substance abuse. While she sought treatment a number of times, shortly before her death Reed's father said she fell off the wagon and began to abuse alcohol.
Reed's initial decision to seek treatment also happens to be a rarity: many people who suffer from mental illness and/or addiction often do not get help, especially in Idaho.
According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's reporting from 2006, some 20,000 Idahoans received mental health services that year.
But the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) estimates that more than a quarter of the American public ages 18 and older suffer from some kind of diagnosable mental disorder each year.
Suicide prevention activists and psychologists alike believe that Idahoans are not seeking treatment for two reasons: social stigma and a lack of state resources.
According to Tom Hanson, former president of the Wood River Valley chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), Idaho is one of the few states where mental health care is severely under-funded. One problem is that the money provided by the state has to be dispersed amongst 44 different counties. For instance, Blaine County falls in a region that includes Twin Falls along with several other counties. The money starts in Boise, goes to Twin Falls and from there is divided amongst a number of areas.
"Any money the state receives for mental health is spread around so thin it cannot do much good. As a result we have an under-served population," Sorento said.
Second, Idaho does not require insurance companies to cover mental illness treatment. As a result very few people in the nation, much less in Idaho, can afford to seek treatment.
"As affluent as parts of this place are, it is also an issue of insurance—nationally and in Idaho," Sorento said.
Sorento sees this lack of funding apparent in the dearth of treatment centers in Idaho and especially in Blaine County. Not only are there few treatment centers, there are also a tiny number of licensed clinical psychologists in the area; the phone book lists only three licensed clinical psychologists in Ketchum.
Sher Foster, Executive Director of Crisis Hotline, said, there are many reports about suicide being very high in resort areas. Foster could not give an exact number of suicides in the Wood River Valley, but she was quick to point out the number of attempted suicides in the Wood River Valley. In the last six weeks, the Crisis Hotline has received six calls from people reporting suicidal thoughts. Foster also acknowledged that the numbers are higher during the winter months and holidays.
"The truth is we don't even know the number of attempted suicides," Foster said.
Resort towns are also party towns where people with time and money come to relax. Such an environment can be conducive to alcohol and drug abuse.
"People come here on vacation and stay on vacation," said Ed Siegel, a Wood River Valley resident and certified substance abuse counselor who heads the Sun Club, a local non-profit that holds 25 different 12-step meetings.
According to Siegel, substance abuse and addiction are rampant in the Wood River Valley.
Sorento agrees. The combination of living in a destination resort town with a lot of affluence can breed trouble.
"It is a very sociable place where individuals will go out and drink and sometimes use drugs," Sorento said. "So even those with the financial resources for treatment may deny the problem or simply be more susceptible to the problem."
Additionally, there is still a kind of taboo that surrounds mental illness and treatment.
"A lot of people think that admitting someone in the family is sick is threatening," Sorento said. "It is so discomforting for them to admit to that lots of people continue to believe that if they just keep it out of the picture eventually it will go away."
Unfortunately, as in the case of Reed, these types of problems rarely go away, even if previously treated.
"Even one suicide is too many," said Hanson.
Additional resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN) of Idaho
www.spanidaho.org
208-860-1703
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Idaho
www.nami.org
1-800-572-9940
Blaine County Crisis Hotline
208-726-3596
Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley
www.hpcwrv.org/
208-726-8464
The Sun Club
208-726-7710
Blaine County Community Drug Coalition
blainecountycdc.org/
208-309-1219
