For centuries, it has been suspected that the full moon has a mysterious impact on human behavior. Now, recent research conducted by psychiatrists at the Indiana University School of Medicine has discovered that there is a correlation between the full moon and an increase in suicide deaths.
“We wanted to analyze the hypothesis that suicides are increased during the period around full moons and determine if high-risk patients should be followed more closely during those times,” said Alexander Niculescu, MD, Ph.D.
Niculescu and his colleagues analyzed data from the Marion County coroner’s office covering suicides that occurred from 2012 to 2016. The results showed a marked increase in suicide deaths during the week of the full moon, with a particularly pronounced rise among individuals over the age of 55. The team also observed that suicides were most likely to occur in the afternoon, between 3 and 4 p.m., and that the month of September was also a peak time.
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