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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Depression big in Utah
By Nancy Van ValkenburgUtah wome
n are among the healthiest -- and most depressed -- in the nation.
Those conclusions, drawn by several recent studies and surveys, paint a confusing picture of our female population.
Self magazine found that the Salt Lake City/Ogden area has one of the five lowest death rates for cancer and heart disease in women in the 100 metro areas studied around the country.
On the downside, Self reported the depression rate for the state's women is much higher than average, and our overall mental health ranking is the fourth lowest among cities in the study.
The study, in last month's issue of the magazine, corroborates a 2001-02 study of antidepressant use nationwide. Express Scripts, a mail-order pharmaceutical provider, revealed that Utah has the highest per capita use of antidepressants in the country.
Utahns, that study found, used antidepressants at a per-capita rate that was twice that of Californians, and three times the rate of those in New York and New Jersey.
And nationally, two-thirds to three-fourths of antidepressant users are female, studies have suggested.
So, why would Utah women be more depressed than their counterparts in other states?
"I don't think it would be too difficult to figure out why this would be a difficult place for women to be," said Becky Johns, coordinator of women's studies at Weber State University.
"The norm in Utah is the LDS woman, and LDS women are held to quite a high standard not only in what they do, but in who they are physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and they're supposed to be happy while they are doing it all. It's easy to understand that perfection is unattainable, and why that might be frustrating to these women, and why frustrated women might be unhappy."
But other circumstances could be contributing to Utahns' depression and use of antidepressants.
Wide-open West
"There are many factors that have an impact," said Mack Gift, executive director of the Mental Health Association in Utah, based in Salt Lake City. "The Western states in general have a much higher depression rate than other parts of the country. I think it could have to do with all the space here."
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Utah has 27 residents per square mile, ranking it 41st in state population density. New Jersey has 1,134 residents per square mile, Massachusetts has 810 and New York state has 502.
The average density, nationwide, is 81 residents per square mile.
The only states with lower population densities than Utah are Nebraska, Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, South and North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska.
Simply stated, people living in more crowded areas, who come in contact with more people in daily life, probably are less likely to feel isolated and alone, according to Gift.
"In some of the big cities, there is a lower incidence of depression," he said.
Several studies have concluded that people can have a genetic predisposition toward depression, Gift added. A tendency toward depression might be a legacy from early Mormon settlers.
"It would be an interesting study if someone could do it," Gift said. "It would require a massive study."
A heavier burden
Gift also pointed to societal pressures as a major cause of depression in women.
"I would say the depression has to do with expectations, along with the ongoing inequities that exist between men and women," he said. "Women don't always have much help with child rearing, and they have the major responsibilities around the home. And most have jobs, and have to do everything else, besides. There's an unfair sharing of responsibilities."
Johns agrees.
"Women have double duty, and even today, research suggests that in this time of 'equal partners,' women still do 90 percent of the housework and handle primary child care. Men may be more willing to help out, but the reality is that women are still doing it, mostly.
"And when you couple that with the higher percentage of women who have to work full time, they are really doing two full-time jobs, trying to have the perfect relationship, be the perfect wife and mother, get to their church meetings and handle their other civic responsibilities, like PTA."
Less time for self
Johns believes women are overwhelmed.
"Our lives are quite busy, and that has to do with modern life, the size of our families, and it also has to do with the way we are instructed to live our lives," she said. "Our expectations, not all of which are from the church, are heavily influenced by the belief we can have it all."
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Utah leads the nation in household size. Women caring for more children would logically have less time for themselves, and less chance to connect with friends, Johns noted.
In median wages paid to females working full time, Utah comes in 35th, suggesting a limit on financial resources as well.
Johns believes another cultural tendency in Utah is for women to suffer in silence.
"The norm is to put on a happy face, persevere, endure to the end," she said. "That's not a very happy thought, enduring."
Johns believes Utah residents who don't belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also feel the pressure to conform to community standards, including traditional family values and the drive for perfection.
To complicate things, Utah's non-Mormon females have less opportunity to network with other women due to the relative unavailability of LDS women, whose lives leave them little time to spare, Johns said.
A third opinion
Valerie Bentley, a clinical psychologist associated with McKay-Dee Hospital, said there is another way of looking at Utahns' relatively high use of antidepressants.
"I like to think that the fact more women are taking antidepressants may be the result of an increased willingness to ask for help," Bentley said.
"... Maybe if someone is depressed, medication will give them a little more energy, and they will be able to sleep and eat again, and they will have the energy to deal with the issues. And if they are more able to talk, maybe there will be less need for antidepressants."
But many women, Bentley suspects, only take the antidepressants, and never talk about their problems.
"If you have a significant problem over time, it is not good enough to just take medicine to help you put up with it."
SELF ANALYSIS
The December 2006 issue of Self magazine released the results of a happiness study that examined statistics on the lives of women in 100 metro areas. The 40 or so factors included death and disease rates, weather, employment status, crime rates, and access to doctors and hospitals.
The study concluded that:
-- Depression rates among women in the Salt Lake City/Ogden area were 15 percent higher than average.
-- Women in our metro area are nearly 50 percent more likely to commit suicide than average.
-- A dozen cities had higher depression rates among women, with the list including Huntington, W.Va./Ashland, Ky., Bakersfield, Calif, and Louisville, Ky.
For overall mental health indicators, including depression, suicide rates and access to psychiatrists, only three metro areas ranked lower: Las Vegas and the Florida cities Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale.
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