Understanding Suicide Trends and Myths

You might think we’re heading into a low time of year for suicides because they peak during the cold, dark months of winter. But, in fact, suicide peaks during the spring and early summer.

This is just one example of the popular beliefs around suicide that turn out to be myths. Here to unpack more of these myths, as well as the truths around this poorly understood subject, is Rory O’Connor, the leader of the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory and the author of When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do to Prevent It. Today on the show, Rory discusses possible reasons for why suicides go up in the warmer months and why men die by suicide more often than women. He explains that suicide doesn’t happen without some warning signs and why someone’s improved mood might be one of them. In the second half of the show, Rory walks us through the real reasons people move from having suicidal thoughts to acting on them, and what works to prevent suicide.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
• The Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory
• Atlantic article: “The Troubling Link Between Springtime Allergies and Suicide”
• AoM Podcast #585: Inflammation, Saunas, and the New Science of Depression
• AoM Podcast #886: What the World of Psychology Gets Wrong About Men
• AoM Podcast #756: How the Desire for Status Explains (Pretty Much) Everything
• “Why Men Kill Themselves” by Will Storr

Connect With Rory O’Connor

• Rory’s faculty page