Holiday Rorschach Test

Looking through the holiday lens, what comes to mind when when you see the image below?

dule964/AdobeStock

About depression during the holidays:

• suicide rates are reported to be lower during Thanksgiving and Christmas and higher during the spring and summer months¹
• a common myth is that more suicides occur during these holidays when, in fact, the winter holidays represent a low point in suicide rates²
• one theory is that because of family togetherness, people are less inclined to act on impulse during the holidays than at other times of the year
• college-aged adults are particularly vulnerable during summer and spring³

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Related content: Celebrating Rorschach's Birthday

Hermann Rorschach was a Swiss Freudian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. Dr Rorschach is, of course, remembered for having developed  the Rorschach inkblot test in order to gain insight of psychotherapy patients.

References:

1. Beauchamp GA, Ho ML, Yin S. Variation in suicide occurrence by day and during major American holidays. J Emerg Med. 2014;46:776-781.
2. Van Orden KA, Witte TK, James LM, et al. Suicidal ideation in college students varies across semesters: the mediating role of belongingness. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2008;38:427-435.
3. Joiner T. Understanding and Overcoming the Myths of Suicide. Psychiatric Times. January 19, 2014. http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/understanding-and-overcoming-myths-suicide.

_{This article was originally posted on December 24, 2014, and has since been updated. -Ed}