title: Climatic and diurnal variation in suicide attempts in the ED.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between climatic factors and suicidal behavior. A total of 1,119 suicide attempts were collected from hospital records between 1996 and 2001. A clear seasonal variation was seen in suicide attempts in the 15-24, 25-34, and over 65 age groups in men and in the 15-24, 25-34, and 35-44 age groups in women with peaks in the spring and summer. Suicide attempts were more frequent between the hours of 6:00-9:00 pm in males and 3:00-6:00 pm in females. People attempting suicide who have depression, anxiety, or a psychotic disorder usually attempt suicide in the summer. Whereas the monthly averages of humidity, ambient temperature, duration and intensity of sunlight were positively correlated with the number of monthly suicide attempts, cloudiness and atmospheric pressure were negatively correlated. In conclusion, we must keep in mind that suicides and suicide attempts are not only the effect of climatic changes and that the most important component is the individual's ability to deal with conflicts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey. zahidedoganay@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Zahide
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Doganay
authors.forename: A Tevfik
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Sunter
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guz
authors.forename: Aysen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Altintop
authors.forename: Celal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kati
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colak
authors.forename: Dursun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aygun
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guven
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D002980:Climate; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons; D013405:Suicide / Q000639:trends; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000639:trends*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology