Analysis of the seasonal pattern in suicide

Partonen, Timo; Haukka, Jari; Nevanlinna, H.; Lönnqvist, Jouko

doi:10.1016/s0165-0327(03)00137-x

Cited by 95 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…4,5 Although few studies have addressed this issue in the Southern Hemisphere, their fi ndings were similar. 2 They have shown that higher suicides rates occur during months with more daily sunlight hours.…”

Section: Descritoresmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…4,5 A less pronounced association was found in temperate zones, 2 and no association was seen in Singapore, located at the Equator line. 3 The present study data support the fi ndings of Chew & McCleary, 2 who compared suicidal behavior among 28 countries and concluded that seasonal variation in suicide is high in temperate zones (between 30° and 60° north and south of the Equator) and low in the tropics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

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Sunshine and suicide at the tropic of Capricorn, São Paulo, Brazil, 1996-2004

Nejar

Lotufo²

2007

Rev. Saúde Pública

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Several studies have confi rmed seasonal variation in suicide rates according to hours of sunshine. The suicide pattern was assessed in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, at the tropic of Capricorn from 1996 to 2004. Poisson regression was employed to estimate parameters of seasonality, as well as to verify associations for each day between daylight duration and suicide. During the nine-year study period, there were 3,984 suicides (76.9% in men; median age=38.7 years old). Seasonal averages of suicides were similar, as were monthly averages. Poisson regression did not reveal any association between suicide rates and hours of sunshine (p=0.45) for both sexes. In conclusion, no seasonal pattern was observed for suicides. RESUMOEstudos epidemiológicos têm confi rmado que as taxas de suicídio apresentam variação sazonal relacionada às horas de insolação. O padrão de suicídios foi analisado na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil, no trópico de Capricórnio, de 1996 a 2004. A regressão de Poisson foi utilizada para estimar padrões de sazonalidade, bem como verifi car a associação dia-a-dia entre duração da insolação e suicídio. Durante os nove anos houve 3.984 suicídios (76,9% homens; mediana de idade=38,7 anos). As médias de suicídio por estação do ano e por mês de suicídio foram similares. Segundo a regressão de Poisson, não houve associação entre insolação e suicídio (p=0,45) para ambos os sexos. Conclui-se que não houve padrão sazonal de suicídios na cidade de São Paulo. DESCRITORES:

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Section: Descritoresmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Sunshine and suicide at the tropic of Capricorn, São Paulo, Brazil, 1996-2004

Nejar

Lotufo²

2007

Rev. Saúde Pública

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“…Risk factors associated with completed suicides have been identified, such as psychiatric illness, hopelessness, previous suicide attempts, being widowed or divorced, living alone, having a recent adverse event, having severe anxiety, having a chronic medical illness, and having a family history of suicide attempts or completions [2]. There have been some reports that environmental factors, such as electromagnetic fields [3,4], latitude [5,6], and season [5][6][7] were associated with suicides.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Earth has a geomagnetic field which is constantly changing. Although Table 1 summarizes reports of studies with different designs (case-control study, ecological study) and endpoints (suicide and depression), previous studies have shown a positive relationship between geomagnetic disturbances and an increased incidence of suicide [7,[9][10][11]. However, there have also been studies in which suicide numbers were found to be inversely related to geomagnetic activity [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These are caused by the superimposition of equatorial ring current effects and auroral current effects, and generate field variations as large as 200 ± 300 nT at low latitudes and can exceed 1,000 nT at high latitudes [15]. Partonen et al [7] found a relationship between the smoothed monthly mean index of geomagnetic activity and the relative risk of suicide (n = 27,469) in Finland. Additionally, Gordon and Berk [9] found a relationship between the average storm activity and the number of suicides in South Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association of geomagnetic disturbances and suicides in Japan, 1999–2010

Tada

Nishimura

Nakatani

et al. 2013

Environ Health Prev Med

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Objectives Previous studies have shown a positive relationship between geomagnetic disturbances and an increased incidence of suicide. The Japanese suicide rate is the ninth highest in the world, but there have been no reports examining the relationship between geomagnetic disturbance and the number of suicides, and, therefore, this paper examines this relationship. Methods The number of Japanese suicides per month from January 1999 to December 2010 was obtained, and it was found that a total of 262,596 males and 102,539 females committed suicide during this period. To adjust the other factors which affect the number of suicides, a multiple linear regression analysis with backward elimination was carried out, with the monthly number of suicides as the response variable and the monthly mean K index value, monthly mean number of sunspots, monthly mean unemployment rate, proportion of elderly people (%), monthly mean air pressure (hPa), monthly mean air temperature (°C), monthly mean humidity (%), and monthly mean day length (h) as the explanatory variables. ResultsIn the multiple linear regression analysis for males, the monthly mean K index value was associated with the monthly number of suicides, but in females, the monthly mean K index value was not associated with the monthly number of suicides. Conclusion In this study, we generated a hypothesis that geomagnetic disturbances may trigger male suicides.

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Trends and Seasonality of Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations for Suicidality Among Children and Adolescents in the US from 2016 to 2021

2023

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ImportanceThe detection of seasonal patterns in suicidality should be of interest to clinicians and US public health officials, as intervention efforts can benefit by targeting periods of heightened risk.ObjectivesTo examine recent trends in suicidality rates, quantify the seasonality in suicidality, and demonstrate the disrupted seasonality patterns during the spring 2020 COVID-19–related school closures among US children and adolescents.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis population-based, descriptive cross-sectional study used administrative claims data from Optum’s deidentifed Clinformatics Data Mart Database. Participants included children aged 10 to 12 years and adolescents aged 13 to 18 years who were commercially insured from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2021. Statistical analysis was conducted between April and November 2022.ExposuresMonth of the year and COVID-19 pandemic.Main Outcomes and MeasuresRates and seasonal patterns of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for suicidality.ResultsThe analysis included 73 123 ED visits and hospitalizations for suicidality reported between 2016 and 2021. Among these events, 66.1% were reported for females, and the mean (SD) age at the time of the event was 15.4 (2.0) years. The mean annual incidence of ED visits and hospitalizations for suicidality was 964 per 100 000 children and adolescents (95% CI, 956-972 per 100 000), which increased from 760 per 100 000 (95% CI, 745-775 per 100 000) in 2016 to 1006 per 100 000 (95% CI, 988-10 024 per 100 000) in 2019, with a temporary decrease to 942 per 100 000 (95% CI, 924-960 per 100 000) in 2020 and a subsequent increase to 1160 per 100 000 (95% CI, 1140-1181 per 100 000) in 2021. Compared with January, seasonal patterns showed peaks in April (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.15 [95% CI, 1.11-1.19]) and October (IRR, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.19-1.29]) and a nadir in July (IRR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.61-0.66]) during pre–COVID-19 years and 2021. However, during the spring of 2020, which coincided with school closures, seasonal patterns were disrupted and April and May exhibited the lowest rates.Conclusions and RelevanceThe findings of this study indicated the presence of seasonal patterns and an observed unexpected decrease in suicidality among children and adolescents after COVID-19–related school closures in March 2020, which suggest a potential association between suicidality and the school calendar.

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Analysis of the seasonal pattern in suicide

Cited by 95 publications

References 20 publications

Sunshine and suicide at the tropic of Capricorn, São Paulo, Brazil, 1996-2004

Sunshine and suicide at the tropic of Capricorn, São Paulo, Brazil, 1996-2004

Association of geomagnetic disturbances and suicides in Japan, 1999–2010

Trends and Seasonality of Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations for Suicidality Among Children and Adolescents in the US from 2016 to 2021

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