Katharina Buczek
For hundreds of years, the full moon has been blamed for everything from crime surges to rises in strange human behavior. But more recently, a study conducted by psychiatrists from the Indiana University School of Medicine has determined that suicide rates rise during the full moon.
According to Alexander Niculescu, he and his team hoped to figure out whether medical professionals should follow high-risk patients more closely during these periods.
So, they analyzed data from the Marion County coroner’s office in Indiana, specifically looking into suicides that occurred between 2012 and 2016.
The team found that suicides significantly increased during full moon weeks. And this rise was even higher among people over the age of 55.
In addition, the researchers studied the months and specific times of day that suicides took place. This analysis revealed that the month of September and the late afternoon– between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.– were peak suicide times.
“From a clinical perspective and a public health perspective, we found some important take-home messages in this study,” Niculescu explained.
“High-risk patients should possibly be followed more closely the week of the full moon, during late afternoons, and perhaps the month of September.”
During previous work, Niculescu and his team had also developed blood biomarker tests for various other pain and mental health conditions– including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
So, the team used blood samples previously collected by the coroner to determine which of the biomarkers were present.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
