title: The occurrence of suicide in severe depression related to the months of the year and the days of the week.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the distribution of suicide during the months of the year and the days of the week in severe depression. A total of 1206 in-patients rated at discharge from the Department of Psychiatry, Lund, Sweden, on a multiaxial diagnostic schedule received the diagnosis severe depression/melancholia between 1956 to 1969. When followed up to 1998, a total of 114 depressed patients had taken their own life. Out of these, 98 patients appeared to have a primary depression. The monthly distribution of suicides showed a significant peak in October/November for men (41 % of all male suicides). No correlation with the onset of depression could be detected. Furthermore, there was a preponderance of suicide on Sundays for both sexes (31 % of all suicides).
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lund University Hospital, Sweden. louise.bradvik@telia.com
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brådvik
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012621:Seasons; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors