Seasonality of Suicidal Behavior

Jong-Min Woo, Olaoluwa Okusaga and Teodor T. Postolache
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Jong-Min Woo: Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University School of Medicine, Mareunnae-ro 9, Jung-gu, Seoul, 100032, Korea
Olaoluwa Okusaga: Psychiatry Residency Training Program, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, 1100 Alabama Avenue, Washington, DC 20032, USA
Teodor T. Postolache: Psychiatry Residency Training Program, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, 1100 Alabama Avenue, Washington, DC 20032, USA

IJERPH, 2012, vol. 9, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: A seasonal suicide peak in spring is highly replicated, but its specific cause is unknown. We reviewed the literature on suicide risk factors which can be associated with seasonal variation of suicide rates, assessing published articles from 1979 to 2011. Such risk factors include environmental determinants, including physical, chemical, and biological factors. We also summarized the influence of potential demographic and clinical characteristics such as age, gender, month of birth, socioeconomic status, methods of prior suicide attempt, and comorbid psychiatric and medical diseases. Comprehensive evaluation of risk factors which could be linked to the seasonal variation in suicide is important, not only to identify the major driving force for the seasonality of suicide, but also could lead to better suicide prevention in general.

Keywords: seasonality; suicide; prevention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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