{"id":21460,"date":"2025-09-18T15:36:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/?p=21460"},"modified":"2025-09-18T15:36:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:36:07","slug":"professor-suicide-not-higher-during-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valuecare.wpgamma.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/professor-suicide-not-higher-during-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor: Suicide Not Higher During Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Professor:Well, this came as a surprise to me as I have always thought that the holidays brought on greater numbers of suicides due to higher levels of stress and deeper depression. But, it appears that this is a common misconception.<\/div>\n

According to UNC School of Social Work professor Jodi Flick. Flick presented \u201cSuicide in Adults and Children: Prevention, Intervention and Postvention,\u201d Nov. 23 at a workshop titled \u201cDepression and Suicide: What You Need to Know\u201d at Catawba Valley Community College.<\/p>\n

According to statistics, the highest rates of suicide have always been in the months of May and June, Flick said. Although, some experts put the highest months in January and April.<\/p>\n

\u201cSevere depression and suicide have more to do with a body\u2019s reaction to \u2026 biorhythms than what\u2019s going on in our lives,\u201d Flick said. \u201cThis is a real medical problem. It isn\u2019t something a person is doing because they feel bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Depression and other illnesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Flick, 90 to 95 percent of those who attempt to commit suicide have noticeable mental illnesses, such as severe depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or practice substance abuse. Other risk factors include a history of trauma, economic hardship or isolation.
\nResearch on suicide in the United States was first conducted on concentration camp survivors after World War II. The studies revealed that it is not just stress that drives peopl\"Professor:e to kill themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it\u2019s more about brain illness than how much stress a person is under,\u201d Flick said.<\/p>\n

Suicide can result from a variety of biological, psychological, cultural or sociological factors, Flick said. Certain events that are believed to lead to suicide, such as losing a job or ending a relationship, are usually themselves caused by depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople often get causes and consequences reversed in depression,\u201d Flick said.<\/p>\n

Depression is a gradual and recurring illness, she said. Untreated, it can last from five months to two years and may return at any time throughout a person\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

According to Flick, women are two-thirds more likely to have depression disorders than men. Although women attempt suicide more often, men are more likely to succeed.<\/p>\n

Trumping the popular belief that teens are at the greatest risk of suicide, Flick said that suicide rates rise with age. Statistics show Caucasian men ages 60 to 70 are at the greatest risk.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of illness<\/strong><\/p>\n

Depression is the most common form of illness for those at risk of suicide, Flick said. It is important to recognize that depression and unhappiness are not the same. Unhappiness is normal, with bad feelings created from outer situations. Depression originates from within.<\/p>\n

Dealing with depression is difficult due to society\u2019s improper use of the word, Flick said. The word \u201cdepression\u201d is often used for everyday emotions, instead of the more appropriate use as a medical term, she said.<\/p>\n

Depression has four categories of symptoms: physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral.
\nPhysical symptoms include constant fatigue that cannot be cured by rest, slow movements and speech, and\u00a0headaches<\/a>\u00a0or stomach pains.<\/p>\n

Emotional symptoms include\u00a0aggression<\/a>\u00a0or numbness, persistent boredom or apathy and low\u00a0self-esteem<\/a>\u00a0or a feeling of guilt.<\/p>\n

Cognitive symptoms include poor concentration, difficulty solving problems or making decisions, negative thought patterns, and feeling hopeless, helpless and self-defeating.
\nThe most notable symptoms, behavioral, come in the form of an\u00a0aggressive<\/a>\u00a0attitude and poor performance at school or work, isolation and differences in relationships.<\/p>\n

Signs of suicide<\/strong><\/p>\n

A person acts on the thought of suicide within five minutes of pre-meditation<\/a>, Flick said. Although suicide may seem impulsive, the downslide toward the act likely occurred over a long period of time. Seventy percent of those who attempt suicide give warnings, which may include discussing suicide or giving away valuable items.<\/p>\n

Eighty-eight percent of suicidal persons first go to their family physician with concerns, Flick said. Some suicides could be prevented if the patients would seek help from a doctor trained to deal with suicide, she said.<\/p>\n

Suicide in news and entertainment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Suicide is twice as likely as homicide, according to Flick, but the media and entertainment industries have taken precautions against excessive coverage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do a very good job of keeping suicide out of the news and movies, and we do it on purpose,\u201d Flick said. She cited the \u201ccontagion effect,\u201d or the belief that viewing or hearing about suicide may cause a general belief that it is an accepted act.<\/p>\n

Intervention and treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not discussing suicide does more harm than good, according to Flick. Common myths about suicide include believing that talking about it will give others the idea to do it, that it is an attention seeking behavior, and that intervening takes away a persons right to choose.
\nFlick said these beliefs could impair the ability to save the life of someone at-risk.<\/p>\n

It is important to educate society, especially children, on the causes of suicide, Flick said, especially because society has not yet accepted depression as an illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your kid has the\u00a0flu<\/a>, are you going to spank them to make them feel better?\u201d Flick explained. \u201cIf it were in their control to feel better, they would have already done that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from suicide, possible consequences of not being treated for depression or another mental illness include failing at school or work, low\u00a0self-esteem<\/a>, drug use, or a relapse or worsening of depression.<\/p>\n

Depression also results in a lower\u00a0immune system<\/a>, which makes the rate of physical illness or death four times higher.<\/p>\n

Some treatments for depression include medications, cognitive behavioral therapy, which attempts to change negative thought patterns, and\u00a0environmental<\/a>\u00a0changes, such as reducing stress and conflict, increasing sleep, increasing ones skills for feelings of\u00a0self-worth<\/a>\u00a0and hospitalization.<\/p>\n

Survivors<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is important that families who have lost loved ones to suicide be open and honest about the death, especially to children, Flick said. Many children will blame themselves for the act, but it\u2019s important for them to understand that suicide is caused by multiple factors, including illness. Families who have experienced a suicide may have difficulty due to stigmas placed on the act by society and religion, Flick said. Survivors are often treated as if they may also be sick or dysfunctional, when they are not.<\/p>\n

Special support groups for survivors of suicide include: Parents of Suicide, Friends and Family of Suicide, Compassionate Friends and the Survivors of Suicide Loss Support groups, which has a location in Statesville and Charlotte.<\/p>\n

Source: http:\/\/www2.morganton.com\/content\/2009\/dec\/11\/depression-and-suicide-related-medical-condition-n\/lifestyles\/<\/p>\n

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