LETTER: Prozac usage no higher in Utah

To the editor:

I would like to comment on the letter to the editor that talked about Prozac usage in Utah. I would like to know where these data is found. One of my research interests is Mormonism and in my research I have not found that particular piece of data. I have found data that would contradict what is popularly thought. I found data gathered by BYU professors reported on the BYU website. This is from the website so there is some bias, but they cite where they got their data. They report Prozac sells in Utah account for 1% of total Prozac sells in the country and census data reports that Utah has 1% of the total US population. Other research I have found on Mormons and depression would also contradict what is commonly believed. In one study the results of a survey of 3,835 university students attending five different universities, including Brigham Young University, found that Mormon women with high levels of religiosity had lower levels of reported depression. This study was published in Psychological Reports in 1993. In a much older study done in 1984 published in Social Science Medicine they found similar results. A more recent study in March 2002 published in Mental Health Religion and Culture found in Utah those with higher religiosity are at a lower risk for mental illness, including depression. It is true that Utah has the highest suicide rates in the country. However in a study published in 2002 in American Journal of Epidemiology that looked at the religious background of suicide deaths in Utah it showed that those who were active members of the LDS Church were less likely to commit suicide than those less active or those who are not members of the church. I would like people to check their facts before they start spreading them, and if anyone has other data that would contradict what I have reported here I would be interested in having that data, or if anyone would like me to send them the exact references. Feel free to email me at rodcar@cc.usu.edu.

Robert Carlisle