A bad situation

Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008 | 2:07 a.m.

A new study suggests that just being in Las Vegas — either as a tourist or resident — increases a person’s risk of suicide.

The high rate of suicides is a well-known statistic here, but this study, led by former UNLV sociologist Matt Wray, examines the numbers in a new and sobering way.

Wray, who is now at Temple University in Philadelphia, and his team found that Clark County residents were as much as 62 percent more likely to commit suicide than U.S. residents elsewhere.

Visitors were more than twice as likely to commit suicide if they came to Las Vegas than if they stayed home. Travelers who came here were twice as likely to commit suicide than travelers to other cities.

Wray and his team suggest more study is needed to determine why there is such a high rate of suicide here. The blame is typically laid on the so-called “gambler’s despair” or alcohol and drug abuse. But casinos, drugs and alcohol are not limited to Nevada.

The study notes that there could be a mix of a number of issues, from people with suicidal tendencies coming here to the social isolation many people here feel.

There is obviously something happening. The study notes that Clark County residents who leave reduce their risk of suicide.

Regardless of why, the study concludes that “Las Vegas has a major health problem on its hands.”

In a story in Thursday’s Las Vegas Sun by Marshall Allen, Wray says Las Vegas leaders resist admitting the scope of the problem. That only furthers the stigma attached to mental health issues, which unfortunately deters people from getting treatment.

The problem has been exacerbated by years of budget cuts to the meager mental health services the state provides, resulting in people struggling with depression or substance abuse and often having nowhere to turn.

Las Vegas should be ashamed of its reputation as having the highest rate of suicides in the country and should work to do something to reduce that number.