Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T21:01:17.733Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Weather conditions and fatal self-harm in North Cheshire 1989–1993

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Emad Salib  and
Nicola Gray
Emad Salib*
Affiliation:
Winwick Hospital, Warrington, and Liverpool University
Nicola Gray
Affiliation:
Winwick Hospital, Warrington
*
Emad Salib, 16 Carriage Drive, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 6DX
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

We aimed to study the effect of weather conditions on the rate of all deaths due to fatal self-harm (FSH) reported in a population of 350 000. In this study the term FSH refers to all coroners' verdicts which were recorded in a specified period and included suicide, misadventure and open verdict.

Method

Five-year data of FSH in North Cheshire was analysed in relation to meteorological data, which were measured at the nearest meteorological office to the study population.

Results

Small but significant positive correlations were demonstrated between occurrence of FSH and hours of sunshine (P < 0.01) and diurnal variations in daily temperature (P < 0.05). These effects were independent of gender and psychiatric history.

Conclusions

Weather may influence the occurrence of FSH, probably interacting with biological and social variables. The rate of FSH death appears to be positively related to fine weather conditions, during early summer, and not to extreme weather conditions as previously reported.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 171 , Issue 5 , November 1997 , pp. 473 - 477
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bancroft, J., Skrimshire, A., Casson, J., et al (1977) People who deliberately poison or injure themselves: their problems and their contacts with helping agencies. Psychological Medicine, 7, 289–303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barker, A., Hawton, K., Fagg, J., et al (1994) Seasonal and weather factors in parasuicide. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 375–380.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brauer, H., Breuer, J. & Fischbach-Breuer, B. (1984) Social, toxicological and meteorological data on suicide attempts. European Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, 235, 367–370.Google Scholar
Dixon, K. W. Shulman, A. (1983) Statistical investigation into the relationship between meteorological parameters and suicide. International Journal of Biometeorology, 27, 93–105.Google Scholar
Douglas, A. S., Allan, T. M. & Rawles, J. M. (1991) Composition of seasonality of disease. Scottish Medical Journal. 36, 76–82.Google Scholar
Durkheim, E. (1897) Le Suicide. Translated (1952) as Suicide: Study in Sociology By Spaulding, J. A. & Simpson, C. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Eaton, P. & Reynolds, P. (1985) Suicide attempters presenting at an emergency department. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 30, 582–585.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lester, D. (1971) Seasonal variation in suicide deaths. British Journal of Psychiatry, 118, 627–628.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linkowski, P., Martin, F. & De Maertelaar, V., (1992) Effect of some climatic factors on violent and non-violent suicides in Belgium. Journal of Affective Disorders, 25, 161–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maes, M., De Meyer, F., Thompson, P., et al (1994) Synchronised annual rhythm in violent suicide rate, ambient temperature and light-dark span. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 90, 191–196.Google Scholar
Parker, G. & Walter, S. (1982) Seasonal variation in depressive disorders and suicidal deaths in New South Wales. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 626–632.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, N., Sack, D., Gillin, J., et al (1984) Seasonal affective disorder: a description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 72–80.Google Scholar
Tromp, S. (1980) Biometeorology. The Impact of the Weather and Climate on Humans and their Environment. London: Heyden.Google Scholar
Tromp, S. & Bouma, J. (1973) Study of the Possible Relationship Between Atmospheric Environment, Suicide, and Suicide Attempts in the Western Part of The Netherlands (1954–1969).Google Scholar
Monograph Series No. 12. Leiden: Biometeorological Research Centre.Google Scholar
Salib, E. (1996) Predictors of Coroners verdict; a logistic regression model. Medicine, Science and the Law, 36, 237–241.Google Scholar
Watson, C., Kucala, T., Tilleskjor, C., et al (1984) Schizophrenic birth seasonality in relation to the incidence of infectious diseases and temperature extremes. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 85–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.