Attempted Suicide and Major Public Holidays in Europe: Findings From the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Parasuicide

The relationship between suicide attempts & major public holidays in Europe was examined. The analysis was based on data from 13 centres on 24,388 suicide attempts by persons aged 15+ years in the period 1989-1996. There appears to be a transposition of a significant number of suicide attempts from before (& during) a major public holiday until after it. Findings support the theory of the “broken promise effect” for major public holidays. (29 refs.)