At some point during this holiday season—maybe as you're rushing to the corner store for more turkey stuffing, or while at a Christmas Eve sale wrestling the last Xbox 360 away from a middle-aged mom—you will be tired, stressed and depressed.
Most people have heard the bit of folk wisdom about how depression and suicide increase during the last two months of the year. The holidays can be stressful, no doubt about it: the crowds, the hassles, the cold weather, those annoying relatives you thankfully see only once a year.
And, of course, there's seasonal affective disorder, perhaps better known by its apt acronym SAD. SAD is a mood disorder that strikes some people during the winter months, causing them to become depressed or lethargic. The disorder is not fully understood but thought to be caused by the decrease in sunlight during winter months.
While stress levels may increase, do suicide rates? After all, there are plenty of stressors throughout the rest of the year as well.
Actually there's no evidence that suicide rates spike in December; in fact they drop slightly.
A 1987 study by researchers David P. Phillips and John S. Wills found that about 100 fewer suicides occur on holidays than other days of the year. Part of the reason may be that while holidays are stressful, they are also a time when friends and family come together, offering emotional and social support to troubled individuals.
It's not all good news, though.
On average, people are slightly more likely to die during the holiday season. While this may seem ominous and mysterious, there is a logical explanation. This effect occurs because during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, people engage more in two activities that increase their chances of death: drinking liquor and traveling. Alcohol consumption is linked to both higher homicide rates and more vehicle accidents.
So cheer up! With moderation and common sense, odds are you'll make it through another holiday season.
译文:
揭秘长假抑郁症
在假期中总有这么些事情--你可能正冲向拐角的店铺购买更多火鸡塞料，或是在圣诞夜特卖中挽着迈入中年的母亲买最新款的Xbox360--你可能有点累、感到压力，并且情绪低落。大多数人听说过民间流传的一些关于年末的两个月是抑郁症和自杀多发时期的传言。假期可能会感到紧迫、毫无疑问：拥挤、争吵、寒冷，还有那些多亏一年只见一次面的烦人亲戚们。
并且，当然，也存在季节性情绪紊乱，可能它的首字母缩写SAD更为出名点。SAD是一种情绪紊乱，在冬天会侵袭某些人，使得他们变得抑郁或瞌睡。人们尚未充分了解这种紊乱，但是它被认为是因为在冬天缺乏日光照射引起的。
压力指数上涨时，那自杀率呢？毕竟，在一年中的其他时候也有充斥着压力。
事实上，没有证据证明自杀率在12月内有增长；反而有些许下降。
一份由David P. Phillips和John S. Wills在1987年做的调查发现过节时，自杀人数会比平时少上100起左右。部分原因可能在于虽然节假日会有压力感，但是他们仍然有很多时间和家人、朋友相聚，给有困难的人精神和社会支持。
但并不是所有都是好消息。
平均起来，在假期中，人们会比平时更容易死亡。虽然这个可能看上去不吉利，很神秘，但是其实是有合理的解释的。这样的情况发生在感恩节、圣诞节和新年期间，因为人们通常参加超过两个活动，容易增加他们的死亡机会：喝酒和旅行。酒精消耗和杀人案件及交通事故增多都有联系。
所以，振奋起来！节制一点、头脑清晰，你一定会平平安安的度过下一个假期的。