Year: 2007 Source: Journal of Affective Disorders, v.100, no.1-3, (June 2007), p.129-136 SIEC No: 20080421

Data from Italy were investigated to evaluate the influence of recent social & medicine-related changes on the seasonality of suicides in the country. A total of 71,227 male suicides & 26,466 female suicides occurring in Italy from 1974-2003 were investigated with harmonic spectral analysis to extract their monthly seasonal dispersion by 5-year intervals. Suicide rates of both males & females showed a rising trend, with an evident peak in the 1987-1994 period & a decrease thereafter. Seasonality of suicides, with a clear peak in spring, accounted for a statistically significant proportion of total variance. (57 refs.)