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Really?! Is there some article or study that talked about this, because I'd love to read it. To be clear, I'm not doubting you at all, I just want to learn more

• Nullabillity 10y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Greenland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Greenland : > According to a report published in the Science Daily in 2009, the suicide rate in Greenland increases during the summer. Researchers have blamed insomnia caused by incessant daylight.[10]
• gwern 10y ago
  One hypothesis some suicide researchers have floated is that suicide has multiple aspects; the dark winters damage people emotionally while reducing energy, and then when the light comes flooding back, their energy levels recover before their emotions. Result: suicide. Apparently there's some analogies in depression treatment where you're briefly more likely to commit suicide after a treatment starts working. Here's one paper on the topic: Vyssoki et al 2014 http://www.gwern.net/docs/2014-vyssoki.pdf http://www.gwern.net/docs/2014-vyssoki.pdf "Direct Effect of Sunshine on Suicide". There might be something similar at play in Greenland.
  • Aelinsaar 10y ago
    That's interesting, and almost seem related to what you see in the first weeks of anti-depressant therapy (especially in teens). The depression and distorted thinking haven't changed, but they get a huge blast of energy. It's one of the possible explanations for why the first few weeks on an anti-depressant are particularly risky in terms of suicide. It does take that odd combination of pain and energy to drive people to end their lives, not just despair and enervation.