A global study has shown that the risk of suicide is highest on these days

Garfield the Cat may have been right about Mondays. A newly published study covering countries around the world found that the risk of suicide is highest on Mondays compared to other weekdays, and that it always seems to increase on New Year’s Day.

Suicide is a complex phenomenon that can potentially affect anyone. However, there are known factors that may influence the risk of suicidal thoughts, as well as the likelihood of attempting fatal self-harm. Some research suggests that calendar timing may be one such factor, but it is unclear which specific days and dates may influence suicide. In this new study published Wednesday in BMJa large team of researchers looked closely at the relevant data.

Researchers analyzed suicide mortality data from 740 cities and other locations in 26 countries from 1971 to 2019. Although there were many regional differences in suicide rates and timing, they found some broadly consistent trends. Namely, compared to other days of the week, suicides were most likely to occur on Monday, with approximately 15% to 18% of suicides occurring on these days. In all countries surveyed, the likelihood of suicide always increased on New Year’s Day. However, the risk of suicide on weekends and other major public holidays such as Christmas varied more, being higher in some countries and lower in others.

“Our findings provide empirical evidence for temporal differences in suicidality, taking into account possible interactions between suicidal states of vulnerability and suicidal behavior, as well as short-term psychological fluctuations resulting from changing environments before, during, and after holidays and weekends ” – wrote the scientists.

The findings are based on observational data, which alone cannot demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship between suicide risk and any factor, including the calendar. But this is not the first test suggest that Mondays in particular can seriously influence people’s suicidal tendencies. Some studies do suggested that this may be due to a phenomenon called the “broken promise effect”, in which people will consider postponing suicide in anticipation of a holiday or weekend, and when free time arrives that does not provide sufficient time, they will feel significant disappointment as much reinforcement as expected . The start of the work week itself may also have a greater impact on those at risk of suicide who are already stressed about their job or the start of another weekly cycle of life. When it comes to the New Year, scientists say one of the key factors is likely to be heavy alcohol consumption during the celebration.

The researchers hope their work can better aid suicide prevention efforts. For example, if the risk of suicide does increase everywhere around the New Year, it would be particularly useful to put out notices in public media advertising support services for people experiencing thoughts in the run-up to that day.

“Our results provide epidemiological evidence to establish more effective suicide prevention action plans and administrative supports to improve the mental health of workers and younger generations (e.g., preventive screening and psychological support programs), which may be important in reducing suicide-related incidents. weekdays and holidays,” they wrote.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text home to 741-741 to be connected to a Crisis Text Line volunteer.