An Increase in the Number of Deaths in the United States in the First Week of the Month

Using computerized data from all death certificates in the USA between 1973-1988, the number of deaths in the first week of the month were compared with the number of deaths in the last week of the preceding month. Between 1983-1988, for deaths involving substance abuse & an external cause, there were 114.2 deaths in the first week of the month for every 100 in the last week of the preceding month. There were significant increases in the number of deaths in the first week of the month for many causes of death including substance abuse, natural causes, homicides, suicides, & motor vehicle accidents. In the case of suicide, there were an average of 6,718 deaths/year in the first week of the month compared to 6,378.1 deaths/year in the last week of the preceding month. (28 refs.)