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Suicide doesn’t increase during the holidays, but the media perpetuates that myth, new Penn study finds

A new analysis by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that more than half of media references of the “holiday-suicide myth” last year failed to debunk it.

A lantern from an exhibit calling attention to suicide at Dilworth Park at City Hall in September. The holidays can be a difficult time for people who are alone, but the myth that suicides increase in winter can be harmful.
A lantern from an exhibit calling attention to suicide at Dilworth Park at City Hall in September. The holidays can be a difficult time for people who are alone, but the myth that suicides increase in winter can be harmful.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer