Suicide Risk Highest in Spring & Summer Months

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Suicide Risk Highest in Spring & Summer Months

Researchers in Australia have found that the incidence of suicide follows a seasonal pattern with levels substantially higher in spring and summer months than during the winter.

Gavin Lambert (Baker Medical Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria) and colleagues examined the relationship between suicide rates and meteorological factors in the state of Victoria between January 1990 and April 1999.

They report that suicides, particularly violent suicides, were lowest in winter and higher in the spring and summer, with rates paralleling increasing hours of daylight. Indeed, suicide rates showed no connection to any other meteorological factors, including temperature or rainfall.

Suicides were also significantly increased among men aged 21-60 years, while for women, the increased rate was confined to those aged 41-60 years.

Initially surprised by the findings, given that low serotonin levels associated with depression normally occur during the winter, Lambert et al suggest that low light levels during winter months may result in prolonged dips of serotonin levels, increasing depression and suicidal behavior that extends into the warmer months.

The changes in serotonin levels as a result of increasing daylight hours may cause changes in volition or anxiety such as to trigger suicide attempts, Lambert said.

However, the team acknowledges that suicide results from a multitude of factors, and the impact of bright light and its effect on brain serotonin levels is only one piece of the puzzle.

The study is published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Am J Psychiatry 2003; 160: 793-795

http://www.psychiatrymatters.md/news/2003/week_17/day_2/p_0000055804.asp

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