My .02, FWIW:
From my experience, perspective and knowledge base as a mental health therapist, the article is spot-on, particularly the emphasis on the lack of intergenerational family and social support systems. People without a strong network of family and friends, and in isolation, are far more likely to commit suicide than people with healthy relationships, not to mention dealing with financial stresses when one is isolated. Also I concur that suicide rates are correlated with alcohol and other substance use. Almost everyone I've ever treated who has had significant substance use issues have also made or seriously contemplated suicide at one time or another. The more dependent someone is on external mood-altering substances to cope with stress, the greater the incidence of violence, both toward others and towards oneself. That may explain some of the national increase in suicide rates in young adults, combined with a perceived lack of opportunities. I think if substance abuse rates went down, so would suicides. But then, people tend to use substances when their daily realities suck, when their family and home life suck, when their economic outlook is discouraging, when they have little to look forward to. I think suicide rates are an indication of inequity in social and economic structures. So I guess it makes sense that the disparity between in haves and have-nots in a resort town would result in higher suicide rates.
That all said, it totally sucks. It's hard to be the person who contemplates, attempts or completes a suicide, and it's hard for the people who have to clean up the mess. Sometimes literally clean up the mess; I've dealt with people who worked near Lake Union and the Ship Canal just under the Aurora Bridge in Seattle, which was a common site for people to commit suicide. People committing suicide often thought they were jumping in the water but didn't realize that most of the bridge is over warehouses and concrete pavement. A lot of falling bodies went splat, and it's pretty horrible for someone to witness, or to see the aftermath, or for responders, or for maintenance workers to clean up after everybody else has left. They finally put up a tall fence alone the bridge walkways, and as it wasn't as easy to commit suicide, there are now fewer suicides (the person contemplating suicide didn't go out of their way to find another clever method). Now, you throw handguns in the mix, that completely escalates the risk of suicide in the group of despondent, lonely people we're talking about. If it's relative easy to take one's life, more people do so. If it's more difficult, less people follow through.
I'm treating a 12-year-old kid right now, whose father died in early March (from cancer, not suicide), and his mom just informed me that the kid's uncle just died. I'm anticipating some lingering behavioral issues to rear up with a vengeance. This kid's had a tough year. So it reminds me that every suicide, every unexpected death, impacts a great many people.