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Parasuicide and the lunar cycle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Tim D. Rogers ,
George Masterton  and
Ralph McGuire
Tim D. Rogers
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
George Masterton*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Ralph McGuire
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr George Masterton, Department of Psychological Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 4 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9YW.
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Synopsis

Admissions to hospital following parasuicide in one city over eighteen years exhibit a cyclical variation apparently synchronized with the lunar quarters. The effect would only account for approximately 0·7 out of the average of 46 parasuicides per 100000 adults per lunar cycle (95% CI 0·6–0·8), and fails to reach statistical significance.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , May 1991 , pp. 393 - 397
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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