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Seasonality of Admissions in the Psychoses: Effect of Diagnosis, Sex, and Age at Onset

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Noriyoshi Takei ,
Eadbhard O'Callaghan ,
Pak Sham ,
Gyles Glover ,
Atsuko Tamura  and
Robin Murray
Noriyoshi Takei
Affiliation:
Genetics Section, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Eadbhard O'Callaghan
Affiliation:
Cluain Mhuire Family Centre, Blackrock, Co. Dublin
Pak Sham
Affiliation:
Genetics Section, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Gyles Glover
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine, Westminster Hospital, London
Atsuko Tamura
Affiliation:
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Tokyo
Robin Murray*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

A summer peak was found in first admissions to hospitals in England and Wales between 1976 and 1986 for both affective psychoses and schizophrenia, but not for neurotic conditions or personality disorders. There was no significant relationship between age at first admission and season of admission. The summer peak was most prominent for mania, where it was present in both sexes; for schizophrenia, it was present only in females. These findings suggest that schizophrenia in females, and mania in both sexes, have some aetiological or precipitating factor in common.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 161 , Issue 4 , October 1992 , pp. 506 - 511
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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