What is going on?

[lightsandsirens5]

Is there some kind of Satanic holiday around now, or is it just something in the water up my way? :unsure:

My service has had 5 attempted suicide/suicide call in the past 4 shifts (Shifts are 12 hours each). One wrist cutter (unsuccessful), one rat poison taker (also unsuccessful), one gunshot (successful suicide, I was on this one. GSW to the Abd. and GSW to the head. Same patient.), and two ODs (one successful suicide, one unsuccessful). To add to that, two of our neighboring services have had two and three attempts/suicides in the same amount of time. :wacko:

 

[Airwaygoddess]

OMG!! Talk about the shift from hell this week! Stay safe and well!

 

[Aidey]

It's that time of year.

Oddly enough I have heard a psychological explanation for this, told to me by a Psychiatrist when I was on my psych rotations in medic school.

At my last service we always had an increase in suicides in March and April, I didn't think much of it until I talked to that doc. During my rotation I noticed that there were a lot more patients in the psych ward at that time of year also.

Anyway, the doc explained that people would get depressed during the winter, and they kept themselves going by saying it was just the dark/weather/cold/whatever and it would get better when winter was over. Winter would end, but they wouldn't feel any better leading to more suicides, attempts and psych ward admissions.

 

[lightsandsirens5]

It's that time of year.

Oddly enough I have heard a psychological explanation for this, told to me by a Psychiatrist when I was on my psych rotations in medic school.

At my last service we always had an increase in suicides in March and April, I didn't think much of it until I talked to that doc. During my rotation I noticed that there were a lot more patients in the psych ward at that time of year also.

Anyway, the doc explained that people would get depressed during the winter, and they kept themselves going by saying it was just the dark/weather/cold/whatever and it would get better when winter was over. Winter would end, but they wouldn't feel any better leading to more suicides, attempts and psych ward admissions.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh......possible explanation there. Hmmmmmmmm..........

Forgot to mention I was on the unscuuessful OD also. Sure seemed like a close call to me. He ended up being flown out I beleive. So I go in two shifts from being a snow white cloud to a suicide pt magnet.......explain that!

 

[LucidResq]

At my last service we always had an increase in suicides in March and April...

March: Mid-terms
April: That horribly disappointing return to school after spring break, straight into the extremely stressful downward slide into finals week in May. Nothing but papers, difficult exams and studying for finals.

It's enough to make me crazy. Wouldn't be surprised if other students are driven crazy-crazy.

 

[reaper]

Is there some kind of Satanic holiday around now, or is it just something in the water up my way? :unsure:

My service has had 5 attempted suicide/suicide call in the past 4 shifts (Shifts are 12 hours each). One wrist cutter (unsuccessful), one rat poison taker (also unsuccessful), one gunshot (successful suicide, I was on this one. GSW to the Abd. and GSW to the head. Same patient.), and two ODs (one successful suicide, one unsuccessful). To add to that, two of our neighboring services have had two and three attempts/suicides in the same amount of time. :wacko:

Sounds like a normal one night shift here! Atleast 3-4 SA's a night!h34r:

 

[WarDance]

March: Mid-terms
April: That horribly disappointing return to school after spring break, straight into the extremely stressful downward slide into finals week in May. Nothing but papers, difficult exams and studying for finals.

It's enough to make me crazy. Wouldn't be surprised if other students are driven crazy-crazy.

I'm about to go crazy due to the papers/tests/looming exams! I wouldn't go for suicide but lots of beer sounds good!

But actually you didn't hear that April was National Attempt Suicide month?

I could see a spike in the number of suicides with the way the economy is going.....

 

[jochi1543]

Yup, there's always a spike in psych issues in the spring.

 

[Foxbat]

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1405688

Total US suicides peak on the first day of each week, in the first week of each month, and in the late spring of each year. Although these cycles are assumed to characterize all US suicides, analyses by age and sex show that the cycles occur only in a few subpopulations. Day-of-the-week effects are found almost exclusively in middle-aged suicides; day-of-the-month effects are found almost exclusively in elderly male suicides; and month-of-the-year effects asre found almost exclusively in teenaged and elderly suicides.

 

[dslprod]

omg yikes !

 

[lightsandsirens5]

Sounds like a normal one night shift here! Atleast 3-4 SA's a night!h34r:

Well considering we only get 2000 calls a year...............

Another suicide attempt call today.:glare: