Search

Psychiatrists, epidemiologists, and sociologists have debated the existence of an association between weather conditions and suicide seasonality since the preliminary statistical investigations in the 19th century. Provided that the effect of weather conditions on suicide operates via a dose-response-like mechanism, time-series (Box-Jenkins) analysis permits an indirect test of the hypothesis that temperature or other weather variables promote higher suicide frequencies in late spring and early summer months. The authors modeled monthly data on suicide and climatic conditions (i.e., temperature, sunshine, and precipitation data) in Switzerland. Cross-correlations between the filtered (prewhitened) residual series were calculated for the period 1881-2000, for consecutive 30-year periods, for different suicide methods, and--with regard to the seasonality hypothesis--for series relying on moving 1- and 3-month frames. Positive cross-correlations emerged between suicide and temperature data for the whole time series, as well as in all consecutive 30-year periods. However, cross-correlations of data series based on moving frames showed a minor peak in associations for summer frames and a major peak in associations for winter frames, the latter reflecting suicides performed mainly outdoors (being run over by a train and jumping from high places). The results represent a novel minor effect in seasonality of suicide, which is hardly compatible with the hypothesized role of temperature in suicide seasonality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the relation between the day of death and the day of birth. To determine whether the "death postponement" hypothesis or the "anniversary reaction" hypothesis is more appropriate., Methods: We analyzed data from the Swiss mortality statistics 1969-2008. Deaths below the age of 1 were excluded from the analysis. Time series of frequencies of deaths were based on differences between the day of death and the day of birth. We applied autoregressive integrated moving average modeling with intervention effects both in straight and reverse time series., Results: The overall death excess on the day of birth was 13.8%, mainly because of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (more in women than in men) as well as suicides and accidents (in particular, falls in men). Unexpectedly, we also found an excess of deaths in cancers. An (negative) aftereffect was found in cancers, and (positive) anticipatory effects were found in falls in men., Conclusions: In general, birthdays do not evoke a postponement mechanism but appear to end up in a lethal way more frequently than expected ("anniversary reaction")., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Research has shown that there are different seasonal effects in suicide. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that the decrease in suicide rate at the end of the year is extended over the last weeks of the year and represents a specific type of seasonal effect. Suicide data were extracted from individual records of the Swiss mortality statistics, 1969-2003. The data were aggregated to daily frequencies of suicide across the year. Specifically, the period October-February was examined using time-series analysis, i.e., the Box-Jenkins approach with intervention models. The time series models require a step function to account for the gradual drop in suicide frequencies in December. The decrease in suicide frequencies includes the whole Advent and is accentuated at Christmas. After the New Year, there is a sharp recovery in men's suicide rate but not in women's. The reduction in the suicide rate during the last weeks of the year exceeds the well-recognised effect of reduced rates on major public holidays. It involves valuable challenges for suicide prevention such as timing of campaigns and enhancement of social networks.

Background: Recent research has corroborated the notion that seasonality in suicide is more heterogeneous and less consistent than postulated by former scholars. This work investigates the smoothing out of suicide seasonality in Switzerland between the late 19th and the end of the 20th century. It includes analyses by region and by suicide method., Methods: Monthly suicide frequencies in Switzerland are available for the period 1876-2000. Data on canton/region are available for the periods 1901-1920 and 1969-2000, and data on suicide method for the periods 1881-1920 and 1969-2000. Analyses focusing on the overall change rely on data aggregated by quinquennia. The Edwards' test and the peak-low ratio were used in univariate analyses of seasonality. Putative determinants of the peak-low ratio were examined using regression analysis with cantonal data., Results: The decrease of seasonal effects in suicide applies to a period of more than 100 years in Switzerland. Big differences of seasonal effects have existed all the time with regard to specific methods and to specific regions. No seasonality was apparent in poisoning, and in Geneva and Basle City, respectively. However, the seasonal effects have been most impressive in drowning and hanging suicides, and in rural Catholic regions. In regression analysis, the decline in suicide seasonality is associated with the decline in the agricultural work force., Conclusions: The smoothing out of suicide seasonality in Switzerland has been a continuous long term process, which probably started by the end of 19th century. Seasonal effects in suicide will probably fade away in most regions of Switzerland and in most suicide methods. This process is in parallel with the disappearance of the traditional rural society.

Current research is yielding an increasingly heterogeneous picture of suicide seasonalities: They seem to depend on methods and, moreover, they seem to have smoothed in recent decades. This work examines the latter issue by comparing suicide seasonalities in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, in the 16 th -18 th centuries, 1901-1920 and 1969-94. The results indicate shifts of peaks and lows on suicide seasonalities over the centuries, with a smoothing of seasonalities toward the 21 th century. The recent period does not show any suicide seasonality at all. The canton of Zurich seems to be ahead of the general trend found in other regions of Switzerland.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to estimate the prevalence rate of dementia (PRD) in relation to age, gender, and ApoE-genotype., Methods: The random sample consisted of 465 subjects aged 65 and more. The interview was conducted by means of the Canberra Interview for the Elderly. The genotyping of ApoE has been performed by a combination of the polymerase chain reaction and a gel electrophoresis separation., Results: The overall PRD amounted to 10.1% (95% CI 6.8-13.3%) and was higher among females (12.2%) than among males (4.9%). The gender difference was of borderline statistical significance (OR 2.17; 95% CI 0.97-4.84 adjusted for age, education level). PRD rose significantly with age. In contrast, the possession of one copy of ApoE-epsilon 4-allele was not associated with a higher risk of having dementia (OR 1.48; 95% CI 0.60-3.63 adjusted for age, gender, education level)., Conclusions: These results are consistent with the finding from other authors.

Objectives: Falls among elderly are a well-recognised public health problem. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relation between dementia, number of depressive symptoms, activities of daily living, setting, and risk of falling., Methods: Data for the analysis came from a cross-sectional study about dementia, depression, and disabilities, carried out 1995/96 in Zurich and Geneva. The random sample stratified, by age and gender consisted of 921 subjects aged 65 and more. The interview was conducted by means of the Canberra interview for the Elderly, extended by short questionnaire. The subject was classified as a faller if the subject and/or the informant had reported a fall within the last 12 months prior to the interview. Logistic-regression analysis was used to determine the independent impact of dementia, depressive symptoms, and ADL-score on risk of falling., Results: The stepwise logistic regression analysis has revealed a statistically significant association between dementia (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.15-3.96), two resp. three depressive symptoms (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.04-2.60) as well as four or more depressive symptoms (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.39-5.02) and the risk of falling. There was no statistically significant relationship between studied risk factors and the risk of being one-time faller. However, we found a strong positive association between dementia (OR 3.92, 95% CI 1.75-8.79), four or more depressive symptoms (OR 3.90, 95% CI 1.55-9.83) and the risk of being recurrent faller. Moreover, residents of nursing homes (OR 8.50, 95% CI 2.18-33.22) and elderly aged 85 or more (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.08-4.87) were under statistically significant higher risk of sustaining recurrent falls., Conclusions: The results of the present study confirm that dementia and depression substantially increase the risk of falling.

The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence rate of fallers (PRF%) and fall-related consequences among the elderly according to age, gender and setting. Data derive from a cross-sectional study on dementia, depression and handicaps among the elderly, carried out between 1995 and 1996. Elderly people aged 65 and over living in Zurich or Geneva were considered eligible for the study. By means of the Canberra Interview for the Elderly, 921 subjects' and/or informants' interviews were completed. The subjects were classified as a faller if the subject and/or informant reported a fall in the year prior to the interview. Overall PRF% amounted to 27.8% and was higher to a statistically significant degree among females (30.9%) than males (22.5%). Gender difference in PRF was found only among the non-institutionalized elderly. Age-specific PRF increased significantly with the age of the elderly. However, this increase was observed only among male subjects. 143 subjects (PRF 17.1%) have fallen once and 101 (PRF 9.9%) two or more times. Females showed a substantially higher propensity to recurrent falls (age-adjusted OR 1.86; 95% confidence interval 1.11-3.10). While the risk of suffering two or more falls increased with age, it did not increase among one-time fallers. Residents of nursing homes had significantly higher risk of falling as compared with home-dwelling subjects (age-adjusted OR 2.46; 95% confidence interval 1.04-5.78). Every second fall caused fall-related consequences. 9.1% of all falls led to fall-related fracture. The risk of suffering fall-related consequences depended on neither age nor gender. One third of fallers reported fear of further falling. Falls among the elderly occur often and contribute substantially to morbidity.

Falls are frequent among elderly people, and are a still-underestimated medical problem with respect to causes and consequences. The present epidemiological study describes the experience from a 79-bed nursing home in the city of Zürich, regarding frequency, circumstances and consequences of falls. Over half of residents of the studied nursing home fell at least once during the study period of one year, and one third even suffered 3 or more falls. Dizziness, tripping and slipping were among the reasons given for falling. However, in one third of the cases the person involved was not able to specify the cause of the fall. Every fifth fall to injury or fracture, and every tenth fall to fall-related pain. The fall-related overall morbidity therefore amounted to 35.3%.