Why do Republican (Red) states have the highest suicide rates in the country?
>Red states tend to be more rural. Rural areas have higher suicide rates in the US.
>Red states have had a lot of poverty and economic difficulties, particularly in recent years. In any case, economic downturn and poverty are associated with increased suicide rates.
>In the US whites have a higher suicide rate than blacks. No one knows exactly why that is, but Red states tend to have a higher white population.
>There is a correlation between suicide rate and gun ownership rates. In fact, this correlation accounts for most of the association between gun ownership rates and gun violence overall (many high gun ownership rate states have among the lowest gun homicide rates, even lower than in Europe). Rural areas have much higher gun ownership rates, and tend to be in Red states.
>Mental health care delivery is a major factor in suicide rate, then poor rural areas, which are disproportionately in Red states, do have some of the biggest challenges in getting adequate mental health care for their populations, would be expected to have higher suicide rates.
