7 Myths About Suicide

Here are 7 myths about suicide.

Suicides peak during holidays

"There is a time of year when suicides are more common," says Marcia Valenstein, MD, research scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development Service. "But it's not when everyone thinks."

Suicide rates climb with altitude

 Suicide rates are about 70% higher in regions 2,000 meters in elevation, for example, compared to at sea level.

Teens are at greatest risk

Teenage suicides make headlines, but the elderly are more likely to take their own life than any other age group, says Dr. Valenstein.

At particularly high risk are white men over the age of 85, who have a suicide rate of 49.8 deaths per 100,000, compared with about 14 per 100,000 in people over 65, and 11 per 100,000 in the general population.

Whites attempt suicide more often than other races

Suicide is more common among whites in the U.S. than blacks, Asians, or Hispanics.

"No one is quite sure why whites are at a higher risk," says Dr. Valenstein. "It might have to do with differences in social support."

Writing style is linked to suicide risk

Creativity, depression, and suicide have long been linked, so it may come as no surprise that some of history's most creative individuals suffered from a mental illness. Depression affected great minds such as Charles Dickens, John Keats, and Tennessee Williams.

Depression is always the cause of suicide

Two of every three people who commit suicide are depressed at the time they take their life. However, alcoholism plays a role in 1 in 3 completed suicides.

Your family affects risk

A family history of depression increases the chances that a child will suffer the same by a factor of 11.