PLN 25

Today I read a blog that i discovered while when I was reading my ohter classmates plns. The title is Colorado eighth in suicides by Bill Scanlon. Colorado is not only eighth in suicides it is also 17th in depression. About 800 people die each year from suicide in Colorado. This is a very disturbing thought to me.

What matters:People wonder why Colorado has such a high suicide and depression rate. Some of the poeple figure its because of the cold tempuratures and the altitude. Also the distance from the ocean and some already depressed people come to the mountains as a last try for happiness. But Utah has the highest depression and rate and is 7th on the suicide rate. A weird fact is that Alaska has the highest suicide rate and yet it is 30th on the depression rate. Another weird fact is the the western states are highest in both suicide and depression.This is a very disturbing fact because I have heard of many people who have commited suicide in Colorado or in states close to it. But I hardly hear about people commiting suicide or having depression in other states like California, New York, and Hawaii.

What matters to me: The reason I picked this post is because it came very close to home for me. I suffered from depression last year and many of my other friends did also. I never knew that Coloradians were so depressed and suicidal. It scares me just a little bit. To know that I was one of those people last year scares me. To know that my friends used to be like and some still are makes me fear they will committ suicide. but the reasons they have depression isn't any of the reasons that I stated above. something needs to be done about this problem because I know what depression is like and it was the worst part of my life so I would never wish anything like that upon anyone else.