Warning: A dangerous disease gets worse every time the moon is full

According to Dr. Alexander Niculescu from Indiana University School of Medicine, who led the study, they tried to analyze the hypothesis that suicides seem to increase during the time around the full moon .

An analysis of data from the Marion County Coroner's Office in Indiana on suicides that occurred between 2012 and 2016 confirmed this, with a significant increase.

In addition, the number of suicides is also highest in September of the year. In terms of time of day, the dangerous hours fall between 3-4 pm.

Photo collage depicting a full moon night with a lunar eclipse - Photo: NASA

"From a clinical perspective and a public health perspective, we found some important messages in the study," Medical Xpress quoted Dr. Niculescu.

He recommends that high-risk patients be monitored more closely during full moons, late afternoons and in September.

To examine the mechanism, the team also developed blood biomarker tests in different groups of psychiatric patients that may be prone to negative thoughts, including patients with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and people suffering from chronic pain.

They found that moonlight disrupted the body clock at a time when it should be darker; while late afternoon was associated with increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower expression of certain genes.

While September can also be stressful as people end their summer vacations and face their daily lives again, not to mention the natural "emotional slump" as daylight diminishes as autumn sets in.

People with depression and alcohol use disorders (alcoholism) are most affected. Increased exposure to screens may also make the effects of the moon even stronger.

The study is a necessary suggestion for relatives of patients with depression, PTSD, alcoholism... to pay more attention to supporting treatment and monitoring patients, as well as a suggestion for doctors to have more appropriate regimens when seriously ill patients enter the risk period.

“This is an area where we will need more research,” said Dr. Niculescu.

The study was recently published in the medical journal Discover Mental Health.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/suc-khoe/canh-bao-mot-can-benh-nguy-hiem-nang-them-moi-khi-trang-tron-20230409114024103.htm