The risk of suicide is greatest on this day of the week, according to a new 50-year study

A study of more than 1.7 million suicides spanning nearly fifty years and in several countries has found an increase in suicide incidents on Mondays, according to new findings that also reveal a similar increase in incidents on New Year’s Day brought.

The observed association between holidays and suicides was generally weak and appeared to vary significantly by country or region, the study’s findings also showed. The authors behind the new research say their work can help individuals, governments and organizations better focus their efforts on helping people experiencing a mental health crisis, and their families.

“The findings provide new scientific evidence on a global scale that may help design more targeted suicide prevention and response programs related to holidays and the day of the week,” they write.

A 50-year study shows increased suicide risk, possibly due to the broken promise effect

The study looked at data on suicides available in the Multi-city Multi-country Collaborative Research Network database. This included data collected on suicides at 740 locations in 26 countries, starting in 1971 and ending in 2019. All told, the team examined just over 1.7 million cases.

Although some previous studies have found links between Thanksgiving and Christmas that indicated lower suicide rates during those holidays, researchers found that the link was particularly prevalent in North America and Europe.

“Multiple studies in European countries and the United States reported that end-of-year holidays such as Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas were associated with lower suicide or suicidal intent,” the study authors explain. However, they note that “a few other studies did not report a strong association between suicide and general vacations.”

The team found that previously observed declines in suicide rates on weekends held true, with notable declines on Saturdays and Sundays. The same effect occurred on general holidays such as Memorial Day.

While there was no immediate explanation for the lower suicide rates on weekends, the authors point out that previous researchers have proposed something called the “broken-promise” effect. According to the study authors, this theory suggests that “individuals may delay committing suicide because of the hope of a “new beginning” when the cycle ends (e.g., weekends and the end of the year).”

However, the data also showed that this effect not only disappeared once the weekend was over, but increased significantly especially on Mondays. Compared to other weekdays, the suicide rate on Monday averaged between 15% and 18%. When examined on an annual basis, the research found a similar cycle, showing that the year-end reductions sometimes seen in Western countries around the holidays were completely wiped out and even somewhat reversed on New Year’s Day.

According to the researchers, the increase in suicides on Monday and New Year’s Day may represent a reverse broken promise effect, whereby “people may be prone to suicidal responses when they encounter a sense of hopelessness from a new cycle (e.g. Monday and New Year’s Day). year).”

Still, the researchers warn that many associations are more regional than global. For example, the total number of suicides was lowest on Saturday and Sunday in North America, Asia and Europe. However, these numbers increased during weekend days in South and Central American countries, Finland and South Africa.

Men commit suicide more often than women

The team’s analysis revealed several other notable correlations by country, gender and region. For example, suicide rates over the five decades studied were highest in South Korea, Japan, South Africa and Estonia. Conversely, figures were lowest in the Philippines, Brazil, Mexico and Paraguay.

Across all provinces and territories studied, the team found that suicides were more common among men than women and also occurred more often among people aged 64 and younger than among those over 65. The higher suicide rates in men were even more evident at New Year’s Eve. Then the day for women.

Notably, the overall protective effect of holidays was different for countries such as China, Taiwan and South Korea, where residents celebrate the Lunar New Year. In those countries, only South Koreans saw a decline during the holidays.

As previously noted, suicide rates at Christmas were generally lower in North America and Europe. However, the study authors found a slight increase in suicides at Christmas in South and Central American countries. This same pattern occurred over weekends, with most countries showing declines, except South and Central American countries, where rates rose slightly.

Assist in planning and preparing mental health interventions

In their conclusion, the team cautions that their data is compelling but inconclusive. For example, previous studies supporting the broken promise effect had several limitations. According to the study authors, the findings in those studies were “based primarily on Western cultures, and no multi-regional study could provide comparative results across different lifestyles and cultures with uniform analytical frameworks.”

Still, they note that the dataset, which covers much of the world, is compelling across multiple decades and could be a tool for organizations and policymakers as they plan outreach programs designed to help prevent suicides.

“The results of this study may help to better understand short-term variations in suicide risk and define action plans and awareness campaigns for suicide prevention,” they conclude.

The study “Association of holidays and day of the week with suicide risk: multicountry, two phases, time series study” was published in The BMJ.

“988” Lifeline for suicide and crisis (from USA Government): If you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline immediately. Trained crisis workers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Christopher Plain is a science fiction and fantasy novelist and chief science writer at The Debrief. Follow him and connect with him X, Read more about his books at plainfiction.comor send him an email directly to [email protected].