http://goo.gl/l8yQLh
It can be good to remind readers that, though most people feel merry during December, it’s also normal to get depressed during the holidays. What’s terrible and dangerous, though, is telling people—falsely—that suicides spike around this time.
According to the CDC, November and December are the months with the fewest suicides. The overwhelming majority of people who kill themselves are mentally ill. For people who otherwise feel fine year-round, feeling mildly down in December is simply not enough to prompt suicide. The stress we associate with the holiday season isn’t the kind of stress that leads to suicide, as Christine Moutier, a psychiatrist and the chief medical officer with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, told NPR. Instead, people are driven to end their lives because of factors like genetics, trauma, mental illness, and access to guns.