Lunar Phase and Psychiatric Illness in Goa

There has been considerable research on the influence of the lunar cycle on mental illness with conflicting findings. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between full moon (FM), new moon (NM), and other moon (OM) days and the frequency of specific psychiatric disorders in patients seen at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Goa and to examine relationships with eclipses. Analysis of all new patients in two calendar years (1997 & 1993) was carried out. Diagnoses of interest were : Non affective psychoses; depression; and mania. The numbers of new patients seen at the OPD of the Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behaviour, Goa, with these diagnoses were compared between FM, NM and OM days. Numbers of patients with these diagnoses on eclipse days (lunar/solar) were also examined. A significant trend was observed for greater numbers of patients with non-affective psychoses on FM days, but no pattern was observed for mania or depression. The excess of non-affective psychoses was more marked on days of a visible lunar eclipse. A relationship between FM and non-affective psychoses has been demonstrated. Its implications for further research and the potential mechanism to explain these findings are discussed.