Not carried away by a moonlight shadow: no evidence for associations between suicide occurrence and lunar phase among more than 65,000 suicide cases in Austria, 1970–2006

Seasonal and Temporal Patterns of Homicides and Suicides in Cali and Manizales, Colombia: A Times-Series Analysis 2008-2015

OBJECTIVE

To identify seasonal and temporal variations in daily incidence of homicides and suicides in Cali and Manizales, Colombia during 2008-2015.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An ecological time series study was performed using negative binomial regression models for daily incidence of homicides and suicides; analyses were controlled for yearly trends and temporal autocorrelations.

RESULTS

Saturdays, Sundays, December holidays as well as New Year and New Year's Eve were associated with an increased risk of homicides in both cities. Suicide risk increased during December holidays and New Year in both cities. In addition, the suicide risk increased on paydays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays in Cali, and it decreased during the Holy Week holidays in Manizales. December patterns of suicides and homicides are the opposite in each city, and between cities.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidences of homicides and suicides are not homogeneous over time. These patterns can be explained partially by alcohol consumption and changes in people's routine activities which may modify exposure to violent circumstances.

Synodic lunar phases and suicide: based on 2605 suicides over 23 years, a full moon peak is apparent in premenopausal women from northern Finland

Suicide data for this study were available for the period of March 1988 to June 2011, and involved 2111 male and 494 female victims from the Finnish province of Oulu. Data for lunar phases during that period were categorised into three groups: new moon (<25% visible), full moon (>75% visible) and other times with values in between. Seasonal effects were controlled with definitions for winter (Nov, Dec, Jan), spring (Feb, Mar, Apr), summer (May, June, July), and autumn (Aug, Sep, Oct). Suicide occurrences during different lunar phases were compared with their expected distribution using multinomial tests with all tests being two-tailed. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. No correlation between suicides and moon phase in any of the four seasons was apparent for male victims, but in winter for women it was (p = 0.001). Further analysis of the data revealed that the full moon association was statistically significant only for premenopausal women, defined as female victims younger than 45 years of age. To explain this unexpected finding a number of factors were considered, e.g., the darkness of a northern Finnish winter with increases of SAD and depression especially in premenopausal women, the influence of the lunar periodicity on the menstrual cycle, and cosmogeophysical effects on the humoral and autonomous nervous system.

Lunar cycle in homicides: a population-based time series study in Finland

OBJECTIVE

To test whether homicides in Finland vary according to moon phases.

DESIGN

A time series study.

SETTING

Finland.

PARTICIPANTS

6808 homicides committed in 1961-2014.

OUTCOME

Daily numbers of homicides.

METHOD

The daily numbers of homicides were related to eight moon phases and the illuminated percentage of the moon disc using negative binomial regression. To identify lunar patterns, piecewise linear terms of lunar days were used, together with changes from one moon phase to another. Homicides were similarly regressed on quintiles of the illuminated percentage of the moon disc. A periodic term of length 29.53 days was included to detect cyclic patterns. The results were adjusted for sex, age, secular trend, distance from the moon, seasons, weekday, major holidays and temperature.

RESULTS

During the full moon, 15% less homicides were committed than during the new moon (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.77 to 0.94) and 86% less during the lightest quintile of illumination compared with the darkest quintile (RR 0.14; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.50). Adjustments did not change the results. Piecewise linear regressions showed a significant decline in homicides at the full moon and a rise thereafter. The full moon drop in homicides was directionally similar for seasons, weekdays, sex, age and time periods, and it was particularly pronounced in the early part of period studied (1961-1974). Periodic regression showed a regular cyclic pattern of length 29.53 days (p~0.035).

CONCLUSIONS

Contrary to current scientific opinion, an association exists between moon phases and homicides, and contrary to what has been previously assumed, homicides declined during the full moon, especially in earlier decades. However, the causality of the association remains elusive.

Moon/sun - suicide

INTRODUCTION

Findings concerning the effects of moon phases and sun activity on suicide are mixed in the international literature.

AIM

Our aim was to examine the hypothesised effects according to gender and age on Hungarian data covering more than 30 years.

METHODS

Time series ARIMA models and dynamic regression models were applied in our analysis.

RESULTS

Among women aged 20-49 years, a significant increase in the risk of suicide has been observed during proton solar events. At the same time, among women aged 50-59 years a slight but significant decrease has been identified in the risk of suicide during magnetic storms and full moons.

CONCLUSION

Proton solar events, geomagnetic storms and moon phases caused changes in the risk of suicide in certain age groups in the case of women only.

[Key-topics in Austrian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2007-2017]

The medical speciality "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry" exists since 2007. 2015 a new training regulation defined an increment to "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine". To document the achievements in research within the last 10 years for the first time, all papers listed in Pubmed and all books published by the member of the ÖGKJP were summarized. Additionally, the clinical/scientific key aspects of all large teaching centres were documented.All members of the ÖGKJP are scientifically active in various areas of child psychiatry. Most of the 284 publications (n = 115; 41%) were published on 5 topics: eating disorders, forensic psychiatry, neuropediatrics, psychoses and prodromal states, suicidality. Thirteen of the papers have already been awared prices because of their high quality. All departments define clinical/scientific key areas - beside a time-consuming clinical work load - and offer specialized care. Further development of research competence should take place and should also have high priority in health politics.

A descriptive study of female suicide deaths from 2005 to 2011 in Van city, Turkey

BACKGROUND

Female suicide is an important problem not only for women but for public health in general.

METHODS

Autopsy reports from the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office from 2005 to 2011 were reviewed retrospectively in order to analyse female deaths from suicide.

RESULTS

Sixty-six female suicide cases were recorded during 2005-2011. The mean age of the cases was 22.64 (sd = 10.09) years, and nine were below the age of 15. The most common method of suicide was hanging (44 cases, 66.7 %). Five (7.6 %) of the cases were under treatment for depression, and 12 (18.2 %) cases had a previous suicide attempt.

CONCLUSIONS

Cultural suppression of females and prevention of their socialization in enclave societies are risk factors for female suicides. The number of female suicide attempts, especially recurring attempts, should be reduced via psychiatric scanning, follow-up sessions and therapy for high-risk individuals.

Pediatric psychiatric emergency department visits during a full moon

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to verify the hypothesis that the lunar cycle influences the number of pediatric psychiatric emergency department (ED) visits.

METHODS

Pediatric psychiatric ED visits between 2009 and 2011 were obtained retrospectively. Patients aged between 4 and 21 years presenting to Miami Children's Hospital ED with a primary psychiatric complaint were included in the study. Patients with a concomitant psychiatric problem and a secondary medical condition were excluded. The number of psychiatric visits was retrieved for the full moon dates, control dates as well as the day before and after the full moon when the moon appears full to the naked eye (full moon effect). A comparison was made using the 2-sample independent t test.

RESULTS

Between 2009 and 2011, 36 dates were considered as the true full moon dates and 108 dates as the "full moon effect." A total of 559 patients were included in the study. The 2-sample independent t tests were performed between the actual full moon date and control dates, as well as between the "full moon effect" dates and control dates. Our results failed to show a statistical significance when comparing the number of pediatric psychiatric patients presenting to a children's hospital ED during a full moon and a non-full moon date.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study's results are in agreement with those involving adult patients. The full moon does not affect psychiatric visits in a children's hospital.

Howling at the moon? The effect of lunar phases on post-surgical pain outcome

OBJECTIVE

Many people are convinced that lunar phases influence their lives - despite the fact that a lot of studies have shown that this belief is wrong. In this article, we investigate the effect of lunar phases on acute post-surgical pain and on treatment-related side effects. We hypothesize that there is no influence.

METHODS

The data for the study were collected in 2010 and 2011 in 10 international hospitals participating in the research project PAIN OUT. Hospitalized patients were asked for their pain after surgery and pain treatment side effects using numerical ratings scales from 0 to 10. We applied Kurskal-Wallis H-tests to find out if the four moon phases show significant differences in 14 outcome variables. Afterwards, we adjusted for age, gender and three tracer surgeries.

RESULTS

A total of 12,224 patient data sets were assessed. For most variables and sub-groups, there is no lunar effect on the observed outcome variables. The only items that show statistically significant differences are pain interference with sleep (p = 0.01) and drowsiness (p = 0.01). The only sub-groups that show statistically significant connections to lunar phases in some variables are men (7 out of 14 variables significant) and elderly people (4 out of 14 variables significant).

DISCUSSION

Even in the statistically significant sub-groups, the differences are small and only show up in some variables. We conclude that lunar phases have no effect on post-surgical pain or its side effects. The hypothesis holds. Thus, there is no reason for patients to postpone surgeries or to fear surgeries on any given date.

Fear of darkness, the full moon and the nocturnal ecology of African lions

Nocturnal carnivores are widely believed to have played an important role in human evolution, driving the need for night-time shelter, the control of fire and our innate fear of darkness. However, no empirical data are available on the effects of darkness on the risks of predation in humans. We performed an extensive analysis of predatory behavior across the lunar cycle on the largest dataset of lion attacks ever assembled and found that African lions are as sensitive to moonlight when hunting humans as when hunting herbivores and that lions are most dangerous to humans when the moon is faint or below the horizon. At night, people are most active between dusk and 10:00 pm, thus most lion attacks occur in the first weeks following the full moon (when the moon rises at least an hour after sunset). Consequently, the full moon is a reliable indicator of impending danger, perhaps helping to explain why the full moon has been the subject of so many myths and misconceptions.

The disease of the moon: the linguistic and pathological evolution of the English term "lunatic"

The public opinion and the scientific community incorrectly believe that the English term "lunatic" was originally related only to insanity, but it also referred to epileptic people. The aim of this article is to clarify the original meaning of the English word "lunatic" by analyzing the evolution of the relationship between psychiatric and neurological diseases and by pointing out the influence of the moon in the history of medicine, in popular traditions, and in English literature. The article also contains a detailed and accurate review of the modern scientific literature on the relationship between moon and epilepsy/psychiatric disorders.

Predictors of suicidal behavior in a high school student population: a cross-sectional study

AIM

To examine high school students' suicidal behavior and to identify predictors of suicide attempt among adolescents in Timis County, Romania. We hypothesized that suicide attempt is associated with other health-risk behaviors.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study we included 2908 high school students in grades 9 to 12. The students were asked to complete an anonymous structured questionnaire during a normal class. We examined the relationship between having attempted suicide and engaging in other health-risk or problem behaviors.

RESULTS

During the previous 12 months, 15.4% of the students had had suicidal ideation, 7.5% had made a suicide plan and 6.1% reported that they had attempted suicide. Based on logistic regression multivariate analysis, attempted suicide was associated with feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more consecutive weeks (OR = 4.74; 95% CI: 3.07-7.31), being forced to have sexual intercourse (OR = 3.18; 95% CI: 1.83-5.50), being physically aggressed by his or her father (OR = 4.28; 95% CI: 1.96-9.34), performing poorly at school (OR = 4.22; 95% CI: 1.51-11.74), having an impaired relationship with parents (OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.17-5.12), not eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or to avoid gaining weight during the past 30 days (OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.40-3.53), being female (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.21-2.99) and carrying a weapon (OR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.53-3.90).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that suicide attempts are associated with other risk behaviors. These behaviors may help to evaluate suicide risk and should be considered when establishing preventive programs.