By Luke Ramseth @ SLTrib.com, July 1

[....] “Growing evidence, based on large data sets, suggests that altitude of residence is specifically associated with increased risk of suicide and depression,” conclude a trio of University of Utah researchers, who recently published their review of medical literature in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. They found altitude also may make popular antidepressants less effective.

Experts suggest many factors play into the state’s high suicide rate, from widespread gun ownership, to a stoic cowboy mentality that is common in some rural Western communities, to the influence of religion.

Last year, Utah hired a researcher, Michael Staley, to dig into what’s behind the problem, part of an effort to develop better prevention programs.But it appears at least one leading driver behind Utah’s suicide rate — which ranked fifth in the nation in 2016 — is simply the mountainous geography.

Low atmospheric pressure at altitude causes declining blood oxygen levels. This affects the body’s levels of serotonin [....]