[YSPNetwork] Oregonian Health story

[Lisa M MILLET]

Story on "what's killing Oregonians" in the Living Section of Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2008/10/fact_or_fiction_is_oregon_kill.html
 
Suicide: In Oregon, more people die by suicide each year than by car crashes. 
Oregon ranks 12th-highest in the nation for suicide, with a rate that is 35 percent higher than the nation, says Lisa Millet, injury prevention and epidemiology section manager for the state's Department of Human Services. 
Oregon's rate in 2005 was 14.86 per 100,000, while the U.S. rate in 2005 was 11.03 per 100,000. Suicide is the seventh-leading cause of death for the state's men and the 12th-leading cause of death for women. 
In general, Millet says, Western states have higher suicide rates than do states east of the Rockies. 
"No one is sure why," Millet says. "Experts seem to agree that higher rates of gun ownership are associated with higher rates of suicide. Unlike the Eastern states, Western states tend to have rural frontier counties where mental health services are not accessible. Finally, the idea of rugged individualism is part of the culture in states that were only settled in the late 1800s and early 1900s." 
-- Paige Parker 
Lisa M. Millet
Injury Prevention and Epidemiology Section Manager
Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology
Oregon Public Health Division
Department of Human Services
800 NE Oregon St. Suite 772
Portland, OR  97232
971-673-1059 desk
503-572-8585 cell
971-673-0990 fax
Lisa.M.Millet at state.or.us
If all you did was just look for things to appreciate you would live a joyous, spectacular life.
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