Podcast Summary: The Gist – "Holiday Suicides: Is That BS?" with Sadie Dingfelder

Podcast: The Gist
Host: Mike Pesca (Peach Fish Productions)
Guest: Sadie Dingfelder (author, science writer)
Episode Date: December 10, 2025
Length: ~33 minutes
Topic: Debunking the myth that suicides spike during the holidays; data and misconceptions about mental health and the festive season

Overview

This episode of The Gist tackles the enduring myth that suicides increase during the holiday season, with host Mike Pesca joined by science writer Sadie Dingfelder for the recurring “Is That Bullshit?” segment. Together, they analyze public beliefs, media coverage, and actual statistics surrounding holiday mental health–particularly the claim that December and Christmas are peak times for suicide. The discussion delves into why the myth persists, what the data actually show, and why some fallacies are so sticky, ending with a broader reflection on how narratives about happiness and sadness around the holidays are constructed and maintained.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Public Perception vs. Reality: The Suicide-in-December Myth

• Why do people believe suicides spike during the holidays?
  • Dingfelder cites a study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center: 80% of people believe December is the highest month for suicides.

    “The Annenberg Public Policy center did a survey and they found that 80% of people guessed that December was the month with the highest rate of suicides." (Sadie Dingfelder, 14:21)

  • Media has reinforced this belief for decades, leading people to internalize the claim as "obvious" or "intuitive."

2. Media Responsibility and the Power of Narrative

• How did the myth become so embedded?
  • Both note how stories open with “It’s the most wonderful time of the year—except” framing, making the notion memorable.
  • Dingfelder explains that in 2023, 58% of articles on the topic still said suicides peaked during the holidays, down from 77% in 2000.

    “...something like in 2023, which was the most recent, 58% of articles on the topic said that suicides peaked during the holidays. And in 2000, it was 77%.” (Sadie Dingfelder, 15:41)

3. The Data: Holiday Suicides Are Actually Lowest

• So, is the myth true?

  • Absolutely not. December and Christmas days are in fact the lowest for suicides.

    “It is not true... the opposite is true. December is the lowest month of first suicide attempts.” (Sadie Dingfelder, 16:06)

  • The specific period of December 24–26 is especially low, and winter months report lower suicides than spring or summer.

    “December 24 to 26 is especially low in the lowest month.” (Sadie Dingfelder, 16:36)

• Why might the rates drop?

  • Unclear, but the data across years and geographies uphold this pattern. Family gatherings, social contact, and other factors may play some role.

4. What Actually Happens Around the Holidays?

• Are there negative health events that increase?
  • Heart attacks spike during the holidays, due at least partly to overburdened hospitals and increased stress or activity.

    “It's actually very bad for heart attacks.” (Sadie Dingfelder, 16:50)

  • Emergency room visits for injuries and accidents: falling decorations (including Christmas trees), food poisoning, cuts, lacerations, broken toes, and gastrointestinal distress all go up (18:12–18:25).
  • Increased car accidents, but fewer robberies between Christmas and New Year’s (19:01–19:07).

    “You're more likely to get into a car accident, but you're a lot less likely to get robbed.” (Sadie, 19:01)

5. Actual Mental Health Trends: The Gallup Data

• Self-reported happiness peaks on holidays.
  • Gallup surveys (calling people randomly year-round) find Christmas and Thanksgiving routinely among the top five happiest days of the year.

    “Christmas and Thanksgiving are consistently in the top five happiest days of the year.” (Sadie, 20:15)

  • Other major holidays also rank as especially happy, likely due to time off work and family gatherings.

6. Myths, Explanations, and Human Nature

• Mike and Sadie discuss why such a strong myth can exist and persist when data disproves it so thoroughly.

  “When the lie gets embedded, we’re so good at coming up for really rational reasons why the lie must be true.” (Mike Pesca, 20:44)

• Media narratives favor negativity because good news is less “story-worthy”:

  “People are happy at Christmas is not a story. People are miserable at Christmas is a story.” (Sadie, 21:21)

7. Seasonal Affective Disorders and the "Winter Blahs"

• The real peak for depression is in the winter, but suicide rates actually rise in spring and summer—a paradox that puzzles psychologists.

  “The depression peaks in winter, but suicide peaks in spring and summer.” (Sadie, 21:49)

• Theories: The shift from “inactive depression” to “energetic despair” as the weather turns may contribute (22:10).

8. International and Regional Observations

• They discuss how these trends might look in regions with different weather patterns or in countries where Christmas is celebrated in summer (e.g., Australia), but Dingfelder says more data would be needed for clear conclusions (23:04).

9. Why Doesn’t the Mental Health Community Push Back Harder?

• Despite the myth, awareness around mental health is important, since individual variation is vast—there are always people who struggle during the holidays regardless of the aggregate data.

  “Just because on average, everyone's happy, there's definitely some people who are attempting suicide and are extremely depressed during the holidays…” (Sadie, 23:47)

• Only 15% of Americans can name the national suicide hotline number (988), highlighting the value in continued public messaging.

  “Only 15% of Americans know that there is a national suicide hotline that is 988.” (Sadie, 24:20)

10. The Verdict: “Is That Bullshit?”

• Mike’s summary:

  “So, do suicides go up around the holidays? December 25 is one of the most dangerous days of the year?... Is that all bullshit, Sadie?”

• Sadie’s final answer:

  “That is all bullshit.” (Sadie, 25:11)

• Mike wraps up:

  “It's all bullshit, but it's all also truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas with happy people… according to Annenberg Surveys.” (25:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the myth’s persistence:
  “I think that the media. I mean, there's just tons of stories that always start with, like, it's the most wonderful time of the year, except not because suicides spike…” – Sadie Dingfelder, 15:07

• On storytelling and belief:
  “When the lie gets embedded, we’re so good at coming up for really rational reasons why the lie must be true.” – Mike Pesca, 20:44

• On the paradox of happiness:
  “Christmas and Thanksgiving are consistently in the top five happiest days of the year.” – Sadie Dingfelder, 20:15

• On media motivations:
  “People are happy at Christmas is not a story. People are miserable at Christmas is a story.” – Sadie Dingfelder, 21:21

• Final debunk:
  “That is all bullshit.” – Sadie Dingfelder, 25:11

Key Timestamps

• 11:17 — Segment start: “Is That Bullshit?” on holiday suicides
• 14:21 — 80% believe December is the peak suicide month
• 15:41 — Media statistics on perpetuating the myth
• 16:06 — Data reveal: December lowest for suicides
• 16:36 — December 24–26 especially low
• 16:50 — Rise in heart attacks during holidays
• 19:01 — More car accidents, fewer robberies (holiday stats)
• 20:15 — Gallup data on happiest days
• 21:49 — Depression peaks in winter, suicides in spring/summer
• 24:20 — Only 15% know the 988 hotline number
• 25:11 — Official “Is That Bullshit?” verdict

Tone and Style

The conversation is fast-paced, witty, and slightly irreverent—typical of The Gist. Both Mike and Sadie combine skeptical curiosity with playful banter, using humor to drive home their analysis while remaining sensitive to the subject matter.

Summary

Contrary to long-standing media narratives and popular belief, suicides do not increase during the December holidays; in fact, they decline, making Christmas and its surrounding days the lowest for suicides in the year. This myth is perpetuated by compelling but inaccurate storytelling, not data. The persistence of such urban legends reflects both media incentives and a human bias for compelling narratives. While the holidays do bring upticks in accidents and heart attacks, they are also among the happiest days according to self-reported data. Still, it's crucial to recognize that individuals experience the holidays differently, and that mental health awareness and support—such as promoting the 988 hotline—remain important.

Bottom line: The “holiday suicide spike” is definitively false. Spread the word—and maybe enjoy your Christmas dim sum.