Monday is favored day for British suicides

Britons are more likely to commit suicide on Monday than any other day of the week, researchers said on Thursday.

This is due not only to the "Monday morning blues" associated with a return to work but, more generally, to a sense of unease related to the start of something new, they said.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collated evidence from nearly 35,000 suicide cases between 1993 and 2002.

"The most common day of death was Monday for both males and females," they said. "This 'Monday effect' for suicides was consistent across all age groups, methods of suicide and all categories of marital status."

Previous studies have suggested that the Monday effect is related to work, but the ONS noted it was also apparent in Britons aged over 75, most of whom do not work.

"(This is) consistent with the theory that the day of the week pattern in suicides is related to the effect of a new beginning, rather than employment-related," they said.

While Monday was usually the bleakest day of the week, the ONS found that the worst day for suicides in the 9-year period was January 1, 2000 -- a Saturday.