Suicide Season?

Suicides, whether attempted or successful, have been sharply on the rise in the metro area since Katrina, and I think we'll see quite a few during the holiday season, which is wryly referred to as "suicide season" by law enforcement and medical professionals.

(Interestingly, the concept of "suicide season" is a misconception - suicides typically drop in December, and are more common during warm months.)

According to the Times-Picayune, a man attempted suicide off the High Rise into the Industrial Canal this morning:

A man jumped sometime before 10 a.m. from the Interstate 10 High Rise bridge
that spans the Industrial Canal in an apparent suicide attempt, according to
police.

The man drove his vehicle westbound on the highway, pulled over to the side abruptly and parked in the right lane, said New Orleans Police Officer Shereese Harper.

He then jumped into the water below. A woman from Bollinger Shipyards alerted police to the jumper.

Harbor Police pulled the man from the water shortly later and he sustained "no obvious injuries," Harper said.