Is the Time of Suicide a Random Choice? A new Statistical Perspective

Analyzed a small but complete & very homogeneous sample of suicides which occurred in the Mountain District of the Metauro River Valley in Italy in the period 1960-1994. A recent circular statistics technique, the “maximization of mean vector length” was used. No significant weekly & lunar patterns were found, but significant seasonal & intraseasonal cycles, with peaks in March & at the beginning of each season, were evident. The superposition of these trends was also studied. (36 refs)