The annual excitement building
up from Thanksgiving through the Christmas season is commonly believed to ignite
depressive feelings in people who may feel despondent, on the outside observing
the joy of others. Some may conclude that more people probably commit suicide
during this time of year. Is this true?
Let’s examine one form of
suicide that includes ingesting poison as a way to end life. Do
particular days of the week, seasons, or holidays really have an impact on the
number of attempted and completed suicides that occur by poisoning? In this research on poison suicides, calls were recorded in the National Poison Database
System coded as "suspected suicide." Exposures were evaluated by day,
season, and holidays and compared to control dates.There were 1,065,067 exposures related to suicide attempts with
completions in 0.4% of cases. Sundays and Mondays for adults and Mondays and
Tuesdays for ages below 19 years were the most common times when suicides were
committed. Spring and fall had higher numbers of exposures than summer and
winter. New Year's Day also had a higher number of exposures, but Independence
Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas had fewer exposures. In conclusion, this
research on suicides by poisons indicated that the
beginning of the week, spring and fall, and New Year's Day were associated with
higher numbers of ingestions with suicidal intent.
What about suicides in
general and globally? Once again, the suicide rate does not peak during the
holidays. Suicides are most common in spring and summer. Why do
people kill themselves more in the spring? The following video explains this
phenomenon further:
Frances Shani Parker,
Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer
in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book
editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.
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