NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — New research from East Tennessee State University's Center for Rural Health and Research found Tennessee is buckled into a belt no state wants to wear.

The ETSU study said the Volunteer State has a relatively higher rate of suicide, making it part of a "suicide belt" that stretches across the U.S.

Dr. Qian Huang, research assistant and professor at ETSU's Center for Rural Health and Research, told News 2 she was both surprised and unsurprised by the findings.

“We found out the Western states have a very high suicide rate, but we didn’t expect Tennessee to fall into the suicide belt, but considering Tennessee has a lot of rural areas, we could narrow that down, that Tennessee also has very high challenges or risk of suicide," Dr. Huang said.

Several factors contribute to TN's higher suicide rate, according to the research, including the number of rural areas in the state, which typically means a lack of access to mental health care, higher rates of poverty, more transportation barriers and social isolation, and more workers in careers that have a higher suicide risk, like farming.

In addition, researchers found there's a greater stigma around seeking mental health help in rural areas.

“In rural areas, mental health is still a very sensitive topic, so we’re glad we’re talking about it and putting it on the table," Dr. Huang said.

Dr. Aaron Brinen, Vanderbilt University Medical Center assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, told News 2 he's sad, but not surprised that TN is in the "suicide belt."

He worries recent federal cuts to Medicaid, the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, and more will only worsen mental health care in the Volunteer State and beyond.

“If we, from a societal standpoint, wanted to create a perfect storm for making this belt worse, I feel like the bill has just been passed to do that," Dr. Brinen said. “We’re going to see less availably for individuals to get mental health treatment, we are going to see less availability for substance abuse treatment, we are going to see hospitals closing, and we’re going to see 988, which is the suicide crisis hotline, we are seeing funding cut for that.”

At the state level, TN has made more investments in mental health services in recent years, including adding behavioral health liaisons inside schools and expanding its Suicide Prevention Network.

However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared 91 out of TN's 95 counties have a shortage of mental health professionals.

Dr. Brinen said investing in mental health services is one of the most cost-effective actions a state can take.

“When we don’t invest in mental health care, individuals underperform at work, so they don’t show up to work, so bosses lose productivity, so ultimately they lose money," Dr. Brinen said. "When individuals can’t work and come off of it, we lose tax money. Investing in interventions costs so little, effective interventions that help people get back to the life they want, and it pays by people coming off of Medicaid or Medicare, but they get back and they get their life back.”

According to the research, other states included in the "suicide belt" are Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.

To read the full study, click here.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/tn-part-of-suicide-belt-in-us-research-finds/