A trio of suicide attempts by young Island women took place on Thanksgiving and the first weekend of December. Health experts, however, say such behaviors are not simply triggered by the holidays and do not occur more often this time of year.
“A single socio-cultural variable is not adequate to fully explain suicide, as it is a very complicated issue having to do with thought, feeling, family dynamics, biology, medical condition, developmental level and other variables,” said Derek Franklin, a counselor with Mercer Island’s Youth and Family Services.
The Reporter does not usually report suicides or attempts, but the similarities in the age and sex of these three Islanders seems rare and unusual. According to details in the police incident reports, two of the women were 25, and the third was 30 years old. Two of the incidents also took place on the same evening of Thanksgiving, late Nov. 27 and early Nov. 28.
Alcohol may have had an impact in one of the incidents, according to the police report. Island officers were dispatched around 1 a.m. on Dec. 6 to Luther Burbank Park in response to a suicidal woman who said that she was “going into the water to end it all.” When police contacted the 25-year-old Islander, she was on the dock, soaking wet and crying uncontrollably, the report states. She told the police that she was upset at everything and everyone, and the officer could smell alcohol on her breath. She was taken to Harborview Hospital in Seattle.
About a week earlier, another 25-year-old Islander woman attempted to end her life twice on Thanksgiving, Nov. 27. She was found and taken to Harborview Hospital.
Later that evening, details documented in a police report show that a 30-year-old Islander told officers that she was feeling depressed from being alone during Thanksgiving. The report states that she made a suicide attempt at 2 a.m. on Nov. 28. However, she said she realized it was the wrong thing to do and called 911 for help. After police and firefighters arrived, she was treated by firemen and taken to Overlake Hospital.
According to Franklin, such occurrences are rare and they do not tend to increase around the holidays or in economic recessions, contrary to what increased coverage by the media might indicate. Franklin, who is also an experienced clinician, said that studies about suicides and the media’s coverage of them are often misleading.
Studies have shown that media reports about increased suicides around the holidays or tough economic times perpetrate myths about the personal tragedies, he said.
“A suicidal gesture should never be taken lightly any time of year,” said Franklin. “The link between holidays and suicide is not backed up by solid, scientific research. This is not to say that individual cases may be attributed to the holidays, just that over time there is not a rate increase clearly associated with the holiday season.”
According to many experts, studies do not show that suicides increase around the winter holidays.
Suicides drop during the winter months, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and they usually peak during the spring months.
Researchers caution that the flurry of articles on holiday suicides could actually inspire “copycat” suicides. Exposure to suicide methods may encourage vulnerable individuals to imitate them, the study warns.
Franklin said that the holidays may actually help reduce suicides by bringing influential protections against feelings of depression.
“There are links between increased suicidal behaviors and depression, but not necessarily to the holidays themselves,” Franklin explained. “Some findings indicate risk factors for suicide can increase during the holidays, but protective factors such as availability of family and less alone-time compensate.”
Those considering suicide are encouraged to call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a 24-hour toll-free suicide prevention service, at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
