Dates of birth and seasonal changes in well-being among 4904 subjects completing the seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire

Perinatal photoperiod associations with bipolar disorder and depression: A systematic literature review and cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank database

Season-of-birth associations with psychiatric disorders point to environmental (co-)aetiological factors such as natural photoperiod that, if clarified, may allow interventions toward prevention. We systematically reviewed the literature concerning season-of-birth and bipolar disorder and depression and explored associations between the perinatal natural photoperiod and these outcomes in a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank database. We used mean daily photoperiod and relative photoperiod range (relative to the mean) in the 3rd trimester and, separately, in the first 3 months post birth as metrics. From review, increased risk of depression with late spring birth is compatible with increased odds of probable single episode-, probable recurrent-, and diagnosed depression (OR 2.85 95 %CI 1.6-5.08, OR 2.20 95 %CI 1.57-3.1, and OR 1.48 95 %CI 1.11-1.97, respectively) with increasing 3rd trimester relative photoperiod range for participants who experienced relatively non-extreme daily photoperiods. Risk of bipolar disorder with winter-spring birth contrasted with no consistent patterns of perinatal photoperiod metric associations with bipolar disorder in the UK Biobank. As natural photoperiod varies by both time-of-year and latitude, perinatal natural photoperiods (and a hypothesized mechanism of action via the circadian timing system and/or serotonergic circuitry associated with the dorsal raphe nucleus) may reconcile inconsistencies in season-of-birth associations. Further studies are warranted.

Addressing Patients' Mental Health Needs at a Student-Run Free Clinic

Student-run free clinics are uniquely positioned to understand the barriers to accessing mental health resources. We abstracted patient demographics and clinical characteristics from 355 patient charts and examined referral patterns for a subset of patients. Seventy-three (21%) of patients were found to have a psychiatric diagnosis and were more likely to have more medical comorbidities (10 versus 6, p < 0.001), total medications (8 versus 6, p < 0.001, and to be English-speaking (odds ratio: 1.97, p < 0.05). Of patients who received a referral, 37 (60%) were referred to specialty treatment, the majority to a single outside agency provider. 15 (25%) of patients were interviewed. Barriers to successful referral included transportation and medical symptoms. A facilitator of successful referral was concern for individual's health. Language, social stigma, and cost were not cited as barriers. This study describes mental health needs at a SRFC and suggests opportunities for improvement.

Month of birth and mood seasonality: a comparison between countries in the northern and southern hemispheres

AIMS

A previous study has reported a significant month-of-birth effect on mood seasonality in the northern hemisphere. Higher mood seasonality was observed for university students born during spring or summer months (long photoperiod) compared to those born during autumn or winter months (short photoperiod). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesized photoperiod effect by comparing the correlation between month of birth and mood seasonality in two countries located at the opposite poles of the terrestrial globe: Italy (northern hemisphere) and New Zealand (southern hemisphere). On the basis of the photoperiod-at-birth hypothesis, we expected to find higher mood seasonality among individuals born in months with longer photoperiods in both countries.

METHODS

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire was administered to 1514 young adults (1088 women, 426 men; 1027 Italians, 487 New Zealanders), with ages ranging from 18 to 34 years. The Global Seasonality Score, which is a measure of mood seasonality, was calculated from the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire.

RESULTS

A significant overall month-of-birth effect was observed on the Global Seasonality Score, but only for men. Men born in April and August (corresponding in Italy to a long photoperiod, in New Zealand to a short photoperiod) had higher mood seasonality than those born in February, regardless of country.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant month-of-birth effect was found on mood seasonality, but results do not support the hypothesis based on the photoperiod effect.

Season of birth and mood seasonality in late childhood and adolescence

A significant season of birth effect on mood seasonality has been detected in young adults, with higher sensitivity to seasonal changes for people born during spring or summer months (long photoperiod) than those born during autumn or winter months (short photoperiod). The aim of this study was to verify whether the birth season effect on mood seasonality is already present in late childhood and adolescence. To this end, the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (SPAQ-CA) was administered to 1523 Italian participants (870 females, 653 males), ranging from 10 to 17 years of age. The Global Seasonality Score (GSS) was computed as a measure of mood seasonality. Analysis of covariance showed a significant season of birth effect on GSS; although no comparisons were significant when Tukey's posthoc test for unequal samples was performed, it was observed that adolescents born in summer achieved the highest scores while those born in winter obtained the lowest. The present data point out that a significant season of birth effect on mood seasonality is already present in late childhood and adolescence.