For some people, the holidays can be a time of struggle: financially, physically, or mentally.
This had led to the belief that people are more likely to commit suicide in December, around the celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Years.
However, according to a long-term study from the University of Pennsylvania, this is a myth. Last year, suicides, which will kill 49,000 Americans in 2022, were actually lowest in the month of December and peaked in August.
This pattern held even when the team looked at countries with different seasons: Suicides decreased in winter.
However, in 2023, surveys found that 80 percent of American adults chose December as the month with the most suicides.
Penn researchers have been following this phenomenon since 1999 and aim to set the record straight, which could help save people when suicides really rise.
Dan Romer, research director at Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, who led the research, said it’s true that many people can feel sad this time of year, whether it’s because of the weather or because of homesickness or family problems. .
Dr. Romer said, ‘Psychologically, because of the shorter, gloomier days of winter in the US, we tend to associate them with suicide. But that’s not what happens in reality.’
It’s unclear why warmer months with longer days might lead to more suicides. But independent researchers suggest it could be related to the inflammation that occurs with seasonal allergies, or it could be that people with depression feel more alienated when the outside world is bright and hopeful.
Penn researchers pick this up data each year based on CDC data on death rates. It comes from the National Vital Statistics System, which compiles information from death certificates for each state.
On average, over the 25 years since they started tracking the data, they said December, November and January consistently rank among the lowest for suicide.
In 2023, the average number of suicides per day in a month was 135. The three lowest months were December, with 123 suicides per day; November, with 126 suicides per day; and October with 131 suicides per day.
The highest months were August, with 142 suicides per day; July with 141 suicides per day; and May, with 139 suicides per day.
Unexpectedly for many, some of the warmest and sunniest months of the year were actually some of the deadliest for suicides.
The researchers wanted to investigate whether this rate was maintained in places where the seasons were different. So they looked at Australia, which has opposite seasons to the United States.
Dr Romer’s team found that the winter months in Australia (June, July and August) had lower suicide rates.
The month with the fewest deaths was June, the beginning of winter in Australia.
It’s not entirely clear why suicides might be more common in summer than winter, but experts have several theories.
Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Adam Kaplin, who was not involved in the Penn studies, suggested it might have to do with biology.
In the spring, people often struggle with allergies, which cause chronic inflammation in the body, and there is a link between inflammation and depression, he said.
Dr. Kaplin said: ‘There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that inflammation from various sources, including allergic reactions, can cause or worsen depression. Our immune system spends the winter trying to protect itself from viral infections, but not allergies.’
In the study, which has been published annually since 2000, researchers used data from the CDC to track suicide patterns by month.
Another theory has to do with the length of the days, said Barton Goldsmith, a psychotherapist who was not involved in the research. He theorized about Psychology today It could have to do with the longer days in the summer months.
Goldsmith said: “I find the days are much longer than in winter, and this can be difficult if you are depressed.”
He added that alcohol and drug use also tends to increase in the summer, which could play a role.
Another theory offered by Dr. Kaplin is that spring and summer could make depressed people feel more excluded and alone, since neurotypical people tend to be more active this time of year.
Dr. Kaplin said, “I also think that spring is particularly hard on people who are depressed because after a largely lonely winter, those people emerge into a world full of rebirth, rejuvenation and revelry.” On the contrary, they feel dark and sad.”
The Penn researchers also conducted studies to look at how the media covered the issue and said that despite their data, people still seemed to believe the risk of suicide was higher during this holiday time of year.
This brings real concerns about the possibility of social contagion, in which people believe suicide is more common on the dark, dreary days of winter, which may make them more likely to carry out the act themselves, he said.
Dr. Romer added: “There is no need to give people the false impression that others are committing suicide, when that could actually lead to contagion.”