Admission to intensive care for parasuicide by self-poisoning: Variation by time cycles, climate and the lunar cycle

The aim of this study was to characterize patients after self-poisoning with suicidal intent regarding age, sex and type of substances ingested, as well as to identify temporal variations of attempted suicides and associations with climate variables and the lunar cycle. During the years 2002–2004, a total of 691 patients were admitted for self-poisoning parasuicides. The male to female ratio was 1:1.65 with mean ages of 39 and 37 years, respectively. Benzodiazepines and antidepressants were the most frequently taken substances. A significant variation with the time of the day with a peak before midnight was observed for both sexes. Variation with the day of the week was less clear and showed a peak incidence for parasuicides on Mondays. There was no significant variation with the monthly or annual cycle. The frequency of parasuicides was associated with “bad weather” (precipitation). No association of parasuicide incidences to the lunar cycle was observed.