Thursday Thinking - Unhappy Holidays

Earlier this month, David Brooks approached the very non-holly-jolly topic of suicide in his opinion column for the New York Times. His piece, "The Irony of Despair," cites some alarming World Health Organization statistics indicating that the global suicide rate has increased 60% over the last 45 years. In that same period, the rate of increase in the USA has increased 28% for people between the ages of 35 and 64.

The holiday season from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day is filled with happiness and goodness for so many, but others experience it as a time of dark misery. For the person experiencing the numbing affects of depression, the sense of despair is only exacerbated by saccharin songs and smiles that seem so hopelessly absurd, unreal, and unrelatable. "Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart (Proverbs 25:20)."


What accounts for the rising rate of suicides? And why do highest rates occur in places where the development, education, and comfort factors are the highest? What are people thinking, and what can be done, if anything, to change their mindset? 

Brooks says, "If you want to prevent suicide, of course, you want to reduce unemployment and isolation, but you also want to attack the ideas and stories that seem to justify it." He then shares several insights from Jennifer Michael Hecht's book, Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies against It.

According to Brooks, the person contemplating suicide is in an ironical situation:

A person enters the situation amid feelings of powerlessness and despair, but once in the situation the potential suicide has the power to make a series of big points before the world. By deciding to live, a person in a suicidal situation can prove that life isn’t just about racking up pleasure points; it is a vale of soul-making, and suffering can be turned into wisdom.

The most recent statistics for the Twin Cities (Minnesota Department of Health - 2011) indicate that suicides surged in 2011 for the steepest increase in more than 13 years. The total of 684 suicides that year was a 13 percent jump in a single year. Clearly, this is a situation that hits very close to home.

It's time for us all give serious thought to the contributing causes of suicide. Some may have something to do with external circumstances, but I suspect that most are related to internal perspectives about life, purpose, and personal identity. There are consequences to the ways we think and feel. Therefore, it is necessary that we give serious thought to the ideas and perspectives shaping our thoughts and feelings. 

This holiday season, take care of yourselves. If you are dealing with depression and despair, be honest, tell a friend, and seek support. If you are happy and healthy, be mindful of those around your who may be doing well to simply endure the "Happy Holidays." Don't make them feel worse just because they are already feeling bad. Be ready to offer them the space, quiet love, patience, and support they need.

Read David Brooks' Column:  
"The Irony of Despair"

Read Pioneer Press Column: 
"Minnesota Suicides Up Sharply" (Bob Shaw - August 2013)