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Mental Health, A Crisis In Utah

Utah is known for having beautiful mountains and valleys. The people in Utah are also

known for being happy and healthy people, but the reality is we aren’t. Utah has had an issue

with mental health resources and how to talk about mental health. Some groups in Utah are

affected more than others, these groups being young adults and teenagers, and youths of the

LGBTQ+ community.

An article written by Julie Cart for Los Angeles Times reported study done in 2002

suggest that Utah lead the nation in antidepressant usage, stating that these drugs are prescribed

at “a rate nearly twice the national average”. This article suggest that the dominate religion of the

LDS Church plays a role in this antidepressant usage stating “there is a social expectation—

particularly among the females… you are supposed to be perfect”. Although this article was

written in 2002, and the study being in 2001, this is still significant because it show that Utah has

had a problem with mental health for a longer time than many people would think.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has only made mental health in Utah worse. Because of the

pandemic, citizens are experiencing more problems which contribute to mental health struggle.

According to an article titled “Mental Health and Substance Use State Fact Sheets” , published

by KFF.org, in October of 2020 34.6% of adults shows symptoms of anxiety and depression. Of

those who showed symptoms of depression and anxiety, 26.6% felt that they needed therapy but

their need was “unmet”. This article also shows a report of those who had a “Major Depressive

Episode” showing that those who are between the ages of 12-17 about 16% experienced a

depressive episode and individuals over the age of 18, the statistic is 10%.
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In an Issue Brief written by Megan Brown for the Utah System of Higher Education, they

did a survey on college age students. This brief tells us that “Across the country, the mental

health of college students has become a prominent concern in the higher education landscape.

This issue is also a significant one for Utah” they also state that “the state’s suicide rate has been

consistently higher than the national average for more than a decade”. The Survey was

administered to 5202 students and showed significant results. Among these results 57.8% felt

hopeless, 86.3% felt exhausted but not from physical activity, and 1.9% had attempted suicide.

This brief and study is very significant because it shows how much of a mental health issue Utah

has, especially in college age students.

Suicide among youth in Utah is a growing issue that is only recently being addressed.

Teenage aged and young adult citizens are the biggest risk group in Utah for suicide. An article

named Suicide Concern Reporting among Utah Youths Served by a School-Based Peer-to-Peer

Prevention Program written by Jennifer Wright-Berryman, Greg Hudnall, Cathy Bledsoe, and

Mary Lloyd, talks about how “no suicide behavior data related to school-based peer suicide

prevention programs have been published” and how “suicide is the second leading cause of death

globally for youths 15 to 29 years old… Utah ranks seventh in suicide rates for all ages over 10”.

This shows us how important mental health is and should be in Utah, and how our youth is the

main contributor to the statistics and how they should be monitored more closely because of the

statistics.

Suicide among members of the LGBTQ+ community is a significant problem in Utah.

According to an article by the Salt Lake Tribune “LGBTQ+ population is particularly at risk…

[Because of] increased risk factors” the research in this article states that “lesbian, gay, and

bisexual adults are two times more likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual adults”.
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Member of the LGBTQ+ community face more hardship than heterosexual individual and is this

is especially true in LGBTQ+ youth. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the highest percentage

of “suicidal ideation” is in Bisexual individuals at 52.5% with Gay and Lesbians following at

47.6%. This article also talks about what can be done about these rates, and how to better help

LGBTQ+ youth. One of the suggestions the article makes is increase the normalcy of talking

about these issues and seeking help, this would greatly help not only those within the LGBTQ+

community but in the state of Utah as a whole.

Utah isn’t as happy and healthy as people would like to think. It has multiple issues, one of the

major issues being the lack of Mental Health resources and the stigma around depression and

anxiety, these issues are not new to Utah and have been around for longer than thought. Youth

groups tend to suffer the most, but there are things that can be done to dwindle these numbers of

suicide and depression.