Psychological Reports, 1975 , 36, 52. @ Psychological Reports 1975
SUICIDE A N D NATIONAL HOLIDAYS1 DAVID LESTER A N D AARON T. BECK Philadeiphia General Hospital Blachly and Fairley (1969) examined the completed suicide rate in Oregon and found the rate to be the same on national holidays as on other days of the year. The purpose of the present study was to re-examine the association between national holidays and both attempted and completed suicides. The data came from three sources: completed suicides in New Jersey in 1970 ( n = 507), completed suicides in Philadelphia in 1972 ( n = 236), and attempted suicides seen at Philadelphia General Hospital in 1971 and 1972 ( n = 254). Data as to the day of the suicidal act was missing for 23 of the Philadelphia completed suicides and one of the Philadelphia attempted suicides. Blachly and Fairley examined 28 holidays: New Year's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Valentine's Day, Washington's Birthday, Ash Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Passover, Easter, Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Trinity Sunday, Children's Day, Flag Day, Father's Day, lndependence Day, Labor Day, Jewish New Year's Day, Citizenship Day, Yom Kippur, Columbus Day, Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Pearl Harbor Day, and Christmas Day.' On these days there were 32 completed suicides in the New Jersey sample of completed suicides (expected number = 37.50; xG0.87, df = l ) , 15 completed suicides in the Philadelphia sample (expected number = 16.30; x' = 0.11, df = I ) , and 30 attempted suicides in the Philadelphia sample (expected number = 19.94; x' = 5.51, df = 1, p 0.02). Several of the holidays chosen by Blachly and Fairley seem minor. Accordingly, the major holidays were considered alone: New Year's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. On these days there were 12 completed suicides in the New Jersey sample (expected number = 15.28; = 0.72, df = 1 ) , 3 completed suicides in the Philadelphia sample (expected number = 6.40; x' = 0.72, df = 1 ) , and 9 attempted suicides in the Phila00.5, d f = 1 ) . delphia sample (expected number = 6.92;"x It appears that there is no difference in the completed suicide rate on holidays and on other days, but that there may be a weak tendency for there to be more attempted suicides than expected on holidays. This difference showed up when the large sample of holidays considered by Blachly and Fairley was examined, but not when a smaller sample of more prominent holidays was examined. In the latter case, the number of suicides was perhaps too small for an effect to be significant.=
SUICIDE A N D NATIONAL HOLIDAYS1 DAVID LESTER A N D AARON T. BECK Philadeiphia General Hospital Blachly and Fairley (1969) examined the completed suicide rate in Oregon and found the rate to be the same on national holidays as on other days of the year. The purpose of the present study was to re-examine the association between national holidays and both attempted and completed suicides. The data came from three sources: completed suicides in New Jersey in 1970 ( n = 507), completed suicides in Philadelphia in 1972 ( n = 236), and attempted suicides seen at Philadelphia General Hospital in 1971 and 1972 ( n = 254). Data as to the day of the suicidal act was missing for 23 of the Philadelphia completed suicides and one of the Philadelphia attempted suicides. Blachly and Fairley examined 28 holidays: New Year's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Valentine's Day, Washington's Birthday, Ash Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Passover, Easter, Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Trinity Sunday, Children's Day, Flag Day, Father's Day, lndependence Day, Labor Day, Jewish New Year's Day, Citizenship Day, Yom Kippur, Columbus Day, Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Pearl Harbor Day, and Christmas Day.' On these days there were 32 completed suicides in the New Jersey sample of completed suicides (expected number = 37.50; xG0.87, df = l ) , 15 completed suicides in the Philadelphia sample (expected number = 16.30; x' = 0.11, df = I ) , and 30 attempted suicides in the Philadelphia sample (expected number = 19.94; x' = 5.51, df = 1, p 0.02). Several of the holidays chosen by Blachly and Fairley seem minor. Accordingly, the major holidays were considered alone: New Year's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. On these days there were 12 completed suicides in the New Jersey sample (expected number = 15.28; = 0.72, df = 1 ) , 3 completed suicides in the Philadelphia sample (expected number = 6.40; x' = 0.72, df = 1 ) , and 9 attempted suicides in the Phila00.5, d f = 1 ) . delphia sample (expected number = 6.92;"x It appears that there is no difference in the completed suicide rate on holidays and on other days, but that there may be a weak tendency for there to be more attempted suicides than expected on holidays. This difference showed up when the large sample of holidays considered by Blachly and Fairley was examined, but not when a smaller sample of more prominent holidays was examined. In the latter case, the number of suicides was perhaps too small for an effect to be significant.=
