The frequency of suicides around major public holidays: some surprising findings

This paper analyzes the recorded number of U.S. daily suicides, 1972-1976. The paper shows that: there is a dip in suicides on and just before major public holidays; there is a peak in suicides just after these holidays; and, the dip in suicides is somewhat larger than the peak--hence, there is a net decrease in suicides around the holidays. On balance, the holidays appear to reduce the number of suicides, not increase them, as previously believed. In addition, previous research has focussed on the negative psychological impact of holidays. Our findings indicate that holidays have a positive component, which should be taken into account in future research.