Study: High altitude living-depression linked
By Kristen Moulton, Salt Lake Tribune
The loss of oxygen from living at high altitudes or with chronic health issues can lead to depression.
A study from the University of Utah found that female rats living for a week at simulated high altitudes of 10,000 feet, 20,000 feet and 4,500 feet showed signs of depression. Lake Tahoe is at 6,250 feet. Male rats showed no ill effects.
“The significance of this animal study is that it can isolate hypoxia as a distinct risk factor for depression in those living at altitude (hypobaric hypoxia) or with other chronic hypoxic conditions such as COPD, asthma or smoking, independent of other risk factors,” said Shami Kanekar, a research assistant professor of psychiatry at the university and lead author of the report.
In the study published last month in High Altitude Medicine and Biology online, researchers gauged the animals’ depression based on their persistence during a swim test.
Because rats do not respond to the same psychological and societal pressures as people, the research strengthens the argument that physiological changes from low oxygen can contribute to depression.
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And all this time I thought it was our local government..
A issue contributing to the two items discussed is the isolation of mountain communities. . .for example, part of the reason African countries can’t move out o their poverty state is due to being out-of-touch with others passing through, but also due to the distances their supplies have to travel, with its’ subsequent diminished quality. . .quality is down, while costs go up. . .for those in isolated areas. . .as an economy is depressed, so are the people within. . .a human factor. . .
Mr Bowen, if we extrapolated out your theory, wouldn’t it follow suit that the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands should be some of the most depressed people in America?