Does the culture in the Appalachian Mountains lead to higher
rates of suicide? According to Dr. Lisa Curtin from Appalachian
State University’s Department of Psychology, the answer is
“yes,” as she shared the results of a study on suicide and
depression in the high county with the Ashe Suicide/Depression
Prevention Awareness (ASAP) task force on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
“Overall, each participant showed the symptoms that are normally
associated with depression,” said Curtain. However, Curtin also
said some unique aspects of the area like social isolation
contribute to higher rates of suicide. She also prefaced her
presentation by acknowledging rural areas with low-income
families tend to have an above average suicide rate. To conduct
the study, the participants each had a non-formal interview
called an “illness narrative.” The average interview ranged from
one to three hours in length. Curtain said her group just
finished transcribing all of the material, and the study was
completed by finding common themes mentioned