Skip to main content

Daily weather variables and affective disorder admissions to psychiatric hospitals

International Journal of Biometeorology volume 58, pages 2045–2057 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Numerous studies have reported that admission rates in patients with affective disorders are subject to seasonal variation. Notwithstanding, there has been limited evaluation of the degree to which changeable daily meteorological patterns influence affective disorder admission rates. A handful of small studies have alluded to a potential link between psychiatric admission rates and meteorological variables such as environmental temperature (heat waves in particular), wind direction and sunshine. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test, ARIMA and time-series regression analyses to examine whether daily meteorological variables—namely wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, rainfall, hours of sunshine, sunlight radiation and temperature—influence admission rates for mania and depression across 12 regions in Ireland over a 31-year period. Although we found some very weak but interesting trends for barometric pressure in relation to mania admissions, daily meteorological patterns did not appear to affect hospital admissions overall for mania or depression. Our results do not support the small number of papers to date that suggest a link between daily meteorological variables and affective disorder admissions. Further study is needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1

References

  • Ajdacic-Gross V, Lauber C, Sansossio R, Bopp M, Eich D, Gostynski M et al (2006) Seasonal associations between weather conditions and suicide—evidence against a classic hypothesis. Am J Epidemiol 165(5):561–569

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arfken C, Zeman LL, Yeager L, Mischel E, Amirsadri A (2002) Frequent visitors to psychiatric emergency services: staff attitudes and temporal patterns. J Behav Health Serv Res 29(4):490–496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barker A, Hawton K, Fagg J, Jennison C (1994) Seasonal and weather factors in parasuicide. Br J Psychiatry 165(3):375–380

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Box GEP, Jenkins GM (1970) Time series analysis: forecasting and control. Holden Day, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Chotai J, Serretti A, Lattuada E, Lorenzi C, Lilli R (2003) Gene-environment interaction in psychiatric disorders as indicated by season of birth variations in tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and dopamine receptor (DRD4) gene polymorphisms. Psychiatry Res 119:99–111

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke M, Moran P, Keogh F, Morris M, Kinsella A, Larkin C, Walsh D, O’Callaghan E (1999) Seasonal influences on admissions for affective disorders and schizophrenia in Ireland: a comparison of first and readmissions. Eur Psychiatry 14:251–255

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke M, Moran P, Keogh F, Morris M, Kinsella A, Walsh D, Larkin C, O’Callaghan E (1998) Seasonal influences on admissions in schizophrenia and affective disorder in Ireland. Schizophr Res 34:143–149

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels BA, Kirkby KC, Mitchell P, Hay D, Mowry B (2000) Seasonal variation in hospital admission for bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia in Tasmania. Acta Psychiatr Scand 102:38–43

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Graaf R, van Dorsselaer S, ten Have M, Schoemaker C, Vollebergh WAM (2005) Seasonal variations in mental disorders in the general population of a country with a maritime climate: findings from the Netherlands mental health survey and incidence study. Am J Epidemiol 162:654–661

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Senarclens C, Assimacopoulos A, Altherr JD, Andrey C, Bloch A (1980) Myocardial infarction and meteorology. Schweiz Med Wochenschr 110(50):1931

    Google Scholar 

  • DSM-IV: diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders —fourth edition (1993). American Psychiatric Association.

  • Felice A, Lasky DI, Moyer RC (1969) Temperature and admission rates to Pennsylvania state mental hospitals. J Clin Psychol 25(3):329–331

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geller SH, Shannon HW (1976) The moon, weather and mental hospital contacts: confirmation and explanation of the Transylvania effect. J Psychiatr Nurs Ment Health Serv 14(1):13–17

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haugh LD (1976) Checking the independence of two covariance-stationary time series: a univariate residual cross-correlation approach. J Am Stat Assoc 71:378–385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helfenstein U (1990) Detecting hidden relations between time series of mortality rates. Methods Inf Med 29:57–60

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heon-Teong L, Leen K, Sook-Haeng J, Kwang-Yoon S (2002) Effects of season and climate on the first manic episode of bipolar affective disorder in Korea. Psychiatry Res 113:151–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ICD-10: classification of mental and behavioural disorders (1993). World Health Organization.

  • James R, Griffin A (1968) Seasonal admission rates in Texas mental hospitals. J Clin Psychol 24:200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazakov VF, Savel’ev AA (1991) A retrospective analysis of unfavourable meteorological-magnetic days and of the status of cardiology patients during sanatorium treatment. Vopr Kurortol Fizioter Lech Fiz Kult 2:43–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller MC, Fredrickson BL, Ybarra O, Cote S, Johnson K, Mikels J et al (2005) A warm heart and a clear head: the contingent effects of weather on mood and cognition. Psychol Sci 16(9):724–731

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert GW, Reid C, Kaye DM, Jennings GL, Esler MD (2002) Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain. Lancet 360:1840–1842

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Large WA, Johnson FN (1980) Psychiatric diagnosis on acute admission related to prevailing weather conditions. Psychiatr Clin (Basel) 13(2):90–95

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McWilliams S, Kinsella A, O’Callaghan E (2013) The effects of daily weather variables on psychosis admissions to psychiatric hospitals. Int J Biometeorol 57(4):497–508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacGregor DM (2003) Effect of the weather on attendance with injury at a paediatric emergency department. Emerg Med J 20(2):204–205

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirrakhimov MM (1979) Human ecological cardiology. Kardiologiia 19(8):44–48

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Modai I, Kikinzon L, Valevski A (1994) Environmental factors and admission rates in patients with major psychiatric disorders. Chronobiol Int 11(3):196–199

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morken G, Lilleeng S, Olav LM (2002) Seasonal variation in suicides and in admissions to hospital for mania and depression. J Affect Disord 69:39–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers DH, Davies P (1978) The seasonal incidence of mania and its relationship to climatic variables. Psychol Med 8:433–440

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ohshige K, Hori Y, Tochikubo O, Sugiyama M (2006) Influence of weather on emergency transport events coded as stroke: population-based study in Japan. Int J Biometeorol 50(5):305–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey J, Grandner M, Crittenden C, Smith MT, Perlis ML (2005) Meteorologic factors and subjective sleep continuity: a preliminary evaluation. Int J Biometeorol 49:152–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pierce DA, Haugh LD (1977) Causality in temporal systems: characterizations and a survey. J Econom 5:265–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruhenstroth-Bauer G, Baumer H, Burkel EM, Sonning W, Filipiak B (1985) Myocardial infarction and the weather: a significant positive correlation between the onset of heart infarct and 28 KHz atmospherics—a pilot study. Clin Cardiol 8(3):149–151

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santiago PN, McLay RN, Hammer PS (2005) Meteorologic factors in emergency evaluation, admission and discharge. Psychiatr Serv 56:1625

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sato T, Bottlender R, Sievers M, Moller HJ (2006) Distinct seasonality of depressive episodes differentiates unipolar depressive patients with and without depressive mixed states. J Affect Disord 90:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shanks NJ, Papworth G (2001) Environmental factors and heatstroke. Occup Med (London) 51(1):45–49

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapira A, Shiloh R, Potchter O, Hermesh H, Popper M, Weizman A (2004) Admission rates of bipolar depressed patients increase during spring/summer and correlate with maximal environmental temperature. Bipolar Disord 6:90–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shin K, Schaffer A, Levitt AJ, Boyle MH (2005) Seasonality in a community sample of bipolar, unipolar and control subjects. J Affect Disord 86:19–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soriano JJ, Ciupagea C, Rohan KJ, Neculai DB, Yousufi SM, Guzman A, Postolache, TT (2007) Seasonal variations in mood and behaviour in Romanian postgraduate students. Sci World J 7:870–879

    Google Scholar 

  • SPSS for Windows. Version 15.0 (2006). SPSS Ltd.

  • Volpe FM, Del Porto JA (2006) Seasonality of admissions for mania in a psychiatric hospital of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. J Affect Disord 94:243–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willeit M, Praschak-Rieder N, Neumeister A, Zill P, Leisch F, Stastny J et al (2003) A polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in the serotonin transporter promoter gene is associated with DSM-IV depression subtypes in seasonal affective disorder. Mol Psychiatry 8:942–946

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yackerson NS, Zilberman A, Todder D, Kaplan Z (2013) The influence of air-suspended particulate concentration on the incidence of suicide attempts and exacerbation of schizophrenia. In J Biometeorol. doi:10.1007/s00484-012-0624-9

    Google Scholar 

  • Yackerson NS, Zilberman A, Todder D, Kaplan Z (2011) The influence of several changes in atmospheric states over semi-arid areas on the incidence of mental health disorders. Int J Biometeorol 55(3):403–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yackerson NS, Bromberg L, Adler B, Aizenberg A (2012) Possible effects of changes in the meteorological state over semi-arid areas on the general well-being of weather-sensitive patients. Environ Health 11:26. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-11-26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zenchenko TA, Tsagareshvili EV, Oshchepkova EV, Rogoza AN, Breus TK (2007) On the issue of the effects of geomagnetic and meteorological activity on patients with arterial hypertension. Klin Med (Mosk) 85(1):31–35

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Health Research Board of Ireland and Met Eireann for supplying the data used in this study.

Declaration of interest

None

Author information

Affiliations

  1. St John of God Hospital, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, Ireland

    Stephen McWilliams & Eadbhard O’Callaghan

  2. DETECT Early Intervention in Psychosis Service, DETECT, Avila House, Block 5, Blackrock Business Park, Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland

    Stephen McWilliams, Anthony Kinsella & Eadbhard O’Callaghan

  3. Dept. of Psychiatry, University College Dublin, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Eadbhard O’Callaghan

Authors
  1. Stephen McWilliams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anthony Kinsella
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eadbhard O’Callaghan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen McWilliams.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McWilliams, S., Kinsella, A. & O’Callaghan, E. Daily weather variables and affective disorder admissions to psychiatric hospitals. Int J Biometeorol 58, 2045–2057 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0805-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0805-9

Keywords

  • Meteorology
  • Barometric pressure
  • Affective disorder
  • Mania
  • Depression
  • Time-series analysis