Holiday season not a joy for all

Greg Risling

The holiday season is commonly portrayed as a period when charitable acts

are more frequent, families are reunited and most are in good spirits.

However, there is a flip side to all of that yuletide cheer.

The 36-day period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve is also a time

where there is loneliness, tremendous pressure to meet demands and the

prospects of a bleak future.

Despondent and desperate, some people feel the only means to an end is

taking their own life. According to some authorities, suicide is one of

the leading causes of death during the holiday season. Law enforcement

officials typically see an increase in suicide attempts during the

holidays more than other times of the year.

“The frequency of calls with suicides or threats of suicide usually

double at this time of the year for us,” said Newport Beach police Sgt.

Mike McDermott. “We tend to get more around this time because people are

reflecting on their situations. If the future doesn’t look bright,

sometimes suicide comes to mind.”

McDermott said the department received 30 suicide-related calls between

Sept. 16 and Dec. 16. A little less than half of those were reported in

November and December.

The wholesome life depicted in Norman Rockwell paintings isn’t always the

case. Counselors believe the holiday season can bring out emotional

extremes, especially when a person feels they haven’t met lofty goals.

“Problems in life are more magnified during the holidays,” said Sandy

Hill, who works for the Trauma Intervention Program, an organization that

helps grieving families who have lost loved ones. “It’s a time where

there is a heightened awareness of our failures. We don’t measure up to

these high ideals and that can be a major problem for some people.”

On Thursday, Newport Beach police responded to one of many possible

suicide calls they receive around Christmastime.

Police received a call from a veterans’ hospital in Illinois. The caller

said a Newport Beach resident, who is a Vietnam veteran, had phoned the

hospital where he once stayed and threatened to kill himself and possibly

others in a hail of gunfire. Police went to his home and found the man,

who surrendered peacefully. He told police “he grew tired of the system

and wanted to end his life,” police said.

No weapons were found and the man was taken to a hospital in Long Beach,

where he will undergo psychiatric evaluation.

The problems may be varied in each suicide case, but the feeling of

hopelessness is stronger during the holiday season, Hill said.

“I think the problem of suicide is overlooked at this time of year

because there are so many good things going on,” she said. “Those who try

to run away from the pain and turmoil find it unbearable sometimes and

that is one of the reasons they contemplate suicide.”

WARNING SIGNS

There are many signs that can warn family members and friends a loved one

might take their life. Here are a few:

* Isolating self from friends and family

* Withdrawal from social activities

* Giving away personal items

* Neglecting personal hygiene and appearance

* Severe depression

* Feelings of hostility, revenge, embarrassment or shame