SUICIDE AND SUNSHINE.

Direct effect of sunshine on suicide.

IMPORTANCE It has been observed that suicidal behavior is influenced by sunshine and follows a seasonal pattern. However, seasons bring about changes in several other meteorological factors and a seasonal rhythm in social behavior may also contribute to fluctuations in suicide rates. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of sunshine on suicide incidence that are independent of seasonal variati...

A role of sunshine in the triggering of suicide.

Several reports indicate that suicide follows a seasonal pattern with a dominant peak during the month of maximum daylight. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that sunshine exposure may trigger suicidal behavior. We found a remarkably consistent pattern of seasonality with peak incidence around June in the northern hemisphere and December in the southern hemisphere. Moreov...

Sunshine and the cardiovascular benefits – a dose of sunshine!

Sunshine and suicide at the tropic of Capricorn, São Paulo, Brazil, 1996-2004.

Several studies have confirmed seasonal variation in suicide rates according to hours of sunshine. The suicide pattern was assessed in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, at the tropic of Capricorn from 1996 to 2004. Poisson regression was employed to estimate parameters of seasonality, as well as to verify associations for each day between daylight duration and suicide. During the nine-year study ...

Sunshine and multiple sclerosis.

In 1960, Donald Acheson made the seminal observation that the global distribution of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be related to available hours of sunshine; this observation was met with disbelief at the time. However, over the subsequent more than 50 years, it has become clear that he may well be right. The effect of sunlight exposure and subsequent vitamin D production (generated by photolysis...