Suicide rates highest on Wednesdays

A study has found that nearly a quarter of suicides in the US occur on Wednesdays, about twice as many as almost every other day of the week.

Puzzling findings

The study, which was recently published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, contradicts findings that suicides are common on Mondays and left experts puzzling over what may be behind Wednesday's grim distinction.

Is it something about the middle of the week when job stresses pile up, overwhelming people who feel they have insurmountable problems?

“Maybe it feels like there's no way out on Wednesday and it's too long to wait for the weekend,'' said Theodore Mucha, medical director at the Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.

Researchers Augustine J. Kposowa and Stephanie D'Auria at the University of California, Riverside, examined data from US death records from 2000 to 2004, focusing on adult suicides.

They found that 24.6 per cent of suicides occurred on Wednesdays. The next-highest rates were 14.4 per cent on Saturdays and 14.3 per cent on Mondays. The fewest occurred on Thursdays — 11.1 per cent.

Kposowa and D'Auria found that more suicides occurred in summer and spring than in autumn or winter, contrasting with traditional thinking that winter months bring more risk of suicide.

Other parts of the study showed that men are more likely to take their lives than women and people who are divorced, educated or living in non-metropolitan areas have a higher risk of suicide.

Stressful competition

Kposowa pointed to workplace stress as a potential explanation and believes changes in work and family life may be behind the shift in suicide's concentration from Mondays to Wednesdays.

Increased economic competition worldwide has threatened job security for many, heightening stress and frustration, said Kposowa, a sociology professor.

“People work harder but they have little or nothing to show for their labour — especially among those who depend on others for wages,'' he said.

“It is likely that the middle of the week, represented by Wednesday, is when the feelings of hopelessness are at their highest.''