"Blitz Theory"

Or: the idea that a terror attack helps pull people together. Scientists have discovered that, following 9/11 and the July 2005 bombs, the suicide rate in New York and London fell by 40%. According to Dr Emad Salib, the reason was "greater social cohesion", though while the post-9/11 drop lasted four weeks, London's dropped for only two days before resuming its normal level. Could the drop have something to do with the increased police presence, the closure of the Underground or, in the case of New York, armed guards at popular suicide spots like the Brooklyn Bridge? This study reads a little like someone trying to play a decent tune out of a busted sax, and though well-meaning, could have as little validity as the claims that June 2002 saw a post-9/11 baby boom. (Image / Herschell Hershey)