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#MythBustingMondays -Suicide rates are highest at the holidays

Suicide rates are highest in the spring, lowest in the winter months

Most people think that there are more suicides around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The truth is that suicide rates are actually lowest in winter months and highest in the spring. October accounted for nearly twice as many suicide attempts as reported in July.

Experts aren’t entirely sure but there are theories.

In a lecture I saw at VCU Grand Rounds, the doctor said the theory was that people don’t have the energy to follow through in the winter.

“During the spring, some people become more physically active or agitated, which could potentially make them more likely to act on their thoughts. Maybe sunshine acts in a similar way in a minority of people.”

There are other theories, one of which is that the release of pollen-triggered immune responses brings about changes in brain chemistry. This theory suggests a relationship between inflammation due to pollen and suicide.

For teenagers, suicide rates go up during the school year and down during summer suggesting that school may be a trigger.

No one knows for sure why suicide peaks in April and is lowest in July.

Published by

AnneMoss Rogers

AnneMoss Rogers is a mental health and suicide education expert, mental health speaker, suicide prevention trainer and consultant. She is author of the Book, Diary of a Broken Mind and co-author of Emotionally Naked: A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk with Kim O'Brien PhD, LICSW. She raised two boys, Richard and Charles, and lost her younger son, Charles to addiction and suicide on June 5, 2015. She is a motivational speaker who empowers by educating and provides life saving strategies and emotionally healthy coping skills. As talented and funny as Charles was, letting other people know they matter was his greatest gift. And now that's the legacy she carries forward in her son's memory. Mental Health Speakers Website.

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