Christmas holidays can be an especially tricky emotional time, forcing people to have to deal with extra mental, physical and financial stresses. These emotions falsely contributed to the myth that suicides spike around Christmastime.

The hypothesis may be utterly sound; however, according to recent studies from several countries, Christmas has the lowest suicide rates of the year.

Studies not only debunked the suicide myth but found that you are more likely to die of natural causes than at any other time of the year. The results repeat everywhere researchers looked, with Australia and Mexico being the exception.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that November and December have the lowest suicide rates of any other month of the year with Christmas Day the lowest. An older study found similar results with a decline of 15 per cent from the average.

Suicide Rates Spike on New Year’s Day

In one 15-year study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suicide rates in England fell gradually on Christmas and spiked on New Year’s Day.

Findings published in the European Journal of Public Health (2015) showed that after a 25 per cent dip in suicides around Christmastime in Austria, the rate spiked on January 1, with the most suicides of any day of the year.

Link: Lifeline Suicide Action Montreal

Christmas Holiday Mortality Factors

The chance of having a heart attack is 37 per cent higher on Christmas Eve, peaking at 10 p.m., according to Swedish researchers who analyzed over 280,000 heart attacks over 16 years and published the findings in the British Medical Journal. Another study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that during Christmastime, you are more likely to die of natural causes than at any other time of the year.

While studies show the most significant spike was on Christmas eve, there is an increased risk on Christmas day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.

Overeating and drinking – extra stress – shoveling snow all place additional stress on the body, notably the heart, but David Phillips, a UC San Diego sociologist, believes delays in seeking medical treatment play in the mortality rate increase.

Phillips reviewed data up of 57 million death certificates issued between 1979 and 2004 and published the findings, “The Holidays as a Risk Factor for Death.” The findings suggest that Christmas and New Year are a risk factor for cardiac and non-cardiac mortality.

He told Expresso U.K., “There are multiple explanations for this association, including the possibility that holiday-induced delays in seeking treatment play a role in producing the twin holiday spikes.”

“Discussing his findings in an interview, Phillips said the spike likely demonstrated families putting off getting possible conditions checked out to remain with their families.”

“He also suggested hospitals may be running on a skeleton staff during the holidays, meaning people who did go were not necessarily getting the attention they required.”

Christmastime and New Year Are the Safest Holidays on Quebec Roads

Surprisingly in Quebec, through Christmas and New Year, there are fewer collisions per day than the other holidays, according to Société de l’assurance automobile du Quebec (SAAQ).

Journalist Jason Tchir reviewed the SAAQ data for the Globe and Mail newspaper and concluded, “In 2017, the province’s summer construction holiday saw nearly three times more deaths (23 in the summer versus 8 at Christmas) and three times more serious injuries (114 in the summer versus 35 at Christmas) than the two weeks from December 21 to January 2.”

When in Doubt Seek Immediate Medical Attention

With the festive season parties, serving generous amounts of food, sweets and alcohol served, it is tempting for one to indulge. While it is the season not to be to sever with our diet, we should remain alert to the body’s signals.