“My life is better than your vacation.”
That statement, which seems to casually fall into mountain town conversations on a daily basis isn’t always the truth. In fact, suicide statistics indicate that many ski town dwellers are victims of an emotionally perilous setting that can actually exacerbate feelings of depression and malaise.
Telluride’s suicide rate is 6 times the national average
In an article recently published on National Geographic’s Adventure Blog, Kelley McMillan delves into the topic and illustrates why mountain life isn’t as easy as people make it out to be. Lack of mental health services, substance abuse, seasonal employment, and a variety of other factors contribute to the rising number of suicides and McMillan seeks to bring the problem “out from the dark and into the light.”
Find the entire National Geographic article here: Why Are Ski Towns Seeing More Suicides?