Citation

Oravecz R, Rocchi MB, Sisti D, Zorko M, Marusic A, Preti A. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 142.

Affiliation

Psychiatric hospital OrmoZ, Rakuseva 8, 2270 OrmoZ, Slovenia. robert.oravecz@guest.arnes.si.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16964136

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have reported changes in the time patterns of suicide: socio-economic and medicine-related variables may contribute to the modification of the long-term seasonality of suicides. Methods: Harmonic spectral analysis was used to analyze all suicides in Slovenia in the years 1971 to 2003 (no. = 14,764 among males; 4,471 among females). Analyses focusing on overall change rely on data aggregated by intervals of eight years. Results: In both genders, seasonal variance accounts for a statistically significant proportion of total variance (36.0% among males; 13.3% among females). Anyway in both genders the season-attributable variance in the last interval is considerably lower than the preceding time intervals. Limitations: Data could not be analyzed according to age or mental disorder diagnosis, since this piece of information was not available. Conclusion: The seasonal effect on mortality by suicide is sensitive to social conflicts; the improvement in the recognition and treatment of mental disorders may have contributed to decreasing the seasonal amplitude observed in Slovenia and elsewhere.

Language: en