Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T00:21:59.330Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Monthly and Seasonal Variation in Parasuicide

A Sex Difference

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

George Masterton*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 4 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh

Abstract

In a total of 22 169 parasuicides over 19 years, there was evidence for a seasonal cycle in parasuicide admissions among women, with an increase during the summer and a fall over the winter, including a pronounced December nadir. Further analysis of the winter trough suggests a sociological explanation, the focal point being Christmas. There was no evidence for monthly or seasonal variation among men.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1991 

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

Barraclough, B. & White, S. J. (1978 a) Monthly variation of suicidal, accidental and undertermined poisoning deaths. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 279282.Google Scholar
Barraclough, B. & White, S. J. (1978 b) Monthly variation of suicide and undetermined death compared. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 275278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durkheim, E. (1897) Le Suicide (transl. (1952) as Suicide: A Study in Sociology by J. A. Spaulding & C. Simpson). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Kreitman, N. (1977) Parasuicide. London: John Wiley & Sons. Google Scholar
Lester, D. & Frank, M. L. (1988) Sex differences in the seasonal distribution of suicides. British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 115117.Google Scholar
Masterton, G. & Strachan, J. (1987) Parasuicide, Scotland and the World Cup. British Medical Journal, 295, 368.Google Scholar
Masterton, G. & Platt, S. (1989) Parasuicide and general elections. British Medical Journal, 298, 803804.Google Scholar
Meares, R. Mendelsohn, F. A. O. & Milgrom-Friedman, J. (1981) A sex difference in the seasonal variation of suicide rate British Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 321325.Google Scholar
Nayha, S. (1982) Autumn incidence of suicides re-examined: data from Finland by sex, age and occupation.British Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 512517.Google Scholar
Parker, G. & Walter, S. (1982) Seasonal variation in depressive disorders and suicidal death in New South Wales. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 626632.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, D. P. & Wills, J. S. (1987) A drop in suicides around major national holidays. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviour, 17, 112.Google Scholar
Swinscow, D. (1951) Some suicide statistics. British Medical Journal, i, 14171425.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.