Utah's suicide risks spike with hot, smoggy days, study finds
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Recurring triple-digit temps and worsening air quality could be jeopardizing Utahns' mental health, per a recent study.
The big picture: The findings could help health experts adjust suicide-prevention efforts in ways that will likely become increasingly important as climate change makes temperatures rise.
How it works: In a study published earlier this year, University of Utah researchers reviewed temperatures and pollution levels in the days leading up to more than 7,500 suicides from 2000 to 2016.
- Researchers looked at conditions at victims' home addresses at the time.
What they found: For every 9-degree increase, the risk of suicide in the following few days jumped by 5%.
- On days with high levels of nitrogen dioxide — a pollutant that comes mostly from traffic and industry — the risk shot up almost 50% with the same temperature increase.
Zoom in: The study reviewed conditions up to six days before each death and found that the risk rose throughout that week, without plateau, after a temperature spike.
- "The two-week period just before suicide is a critical time for intervention, so we're really trying to understand what's happening in that really short-term period," Amanda Bakian, psychiatric researcher and the study's lead author, said in a statement.
The intrigue: Previous studies have shown suicide risks rise with high temperatures and pollution, but this one combined the two factors.
- It also measured heat via "wet bulb globe temperature" (WBGT), which is similar to a heat index but calculates how hot it feels in direct sunlight — something Utah has a lot of.
What we're watching: Wildfire smoke has worsened in Utah since the analysis ended in 2016. The study's authors called for more research to show the full extent of its potential links to suicide risk.
What's next: Temperatures are forecast to soar as high as 106° this weekend, followed by a bout of bad air early next week.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Ayuda disponible en español.