GPT on Question 20, Sep 23
Which US state has the highest suicide rate, and what do researchers attribute that to?The answer depends on the year. In the CDC’s 2022 finalized data, Montana had the highest age-adjusted suicide rate, about 29 deaths per 100,000 people; Wyoming has ranked highest in some other recent years.
Researchers do not point to one cause. The Mountain West’s high rates are associated with:
- •widespread firearm access, making attempts more likely to be fatal;
- •rural isolation and long distances to mental-health care;
- •shortages of behavioral-health providers;
- •economic stress and cultural stigma around seeking help;
- •high proportions of veterans and some Indigenous communities facing elevated risk;
- •possibly high altitude, although evidence for altitude as an independent cause remains debated.
So the strongest explanation is a combination of lethal-means access, isolation, and limited care—not simply geography or altitude.
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The answer depends on the year. In the CDC’s 2022 finalized data, **Montana** had the highest age-adjusted suicide rate, about **29 deaths per 100,000 people**; **Wyoming** has ranked highest in some other recent years.
Researchers do not point to one cause. The Mountain West’s high rates are associated with:
- widespread firearm access, making attempts more likely to be fatal;
- rural isolation and long distances to mental-health care;
- shortages of behavioral-health providers;
- economic stress and cultural stigma around seeking help;
- high proportions of veterans and some Indigenous communities facing elevated risk;
- possibly high altitude, although evidence for altitude as an independent cause remains debated.
So the strongest explanation is a combination of lethal-means access, isolation, and limited care—not simply geography or altitude.
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