According to Austrian researchers, long sunny days have the effect of reducing the number of suicides.
Go live on sunny islands that never know winter. Here is a therapy that could be effective against suicidal ideation. Indeed, according to a recent study published in the journal Jama Psychiatry, daily exposure to sunlight would have a positive impact on our mood and lower suicide rates.
Positive effect beyond 10 days
Led by Benjamin Vyssoki, professor at the University of Medicine in Vienna, the study covered 69,462 officially declared suicides over a period of 40 years, between 1970 and 2010. From 86 weather stations, the researchers calculated the number of hours of sunshine per day in places where people who died by suicide were located. These data were calculated from variations in the rhythm of the seasons. In the ten days preceding the passage to the act, the sun was not there, which, according to the researchers, “facilitated the suicide”. On the other hand, in the 14 to 60 days preceding the event, the sun was more present and the suicide rate lower.
More correlation in women
Long sunny days therefore seem to have a positive impact on people with depression, since suicides are less frequent in these weather conditions. According to the study, women are more susceptible to this phenomenon than men. The authors of the study, however, remain cautious about the results obtained: “It is impossible to attribute a direct relationship between exposure to the sun and suicide, ten days before the event. More research is needed to determine whether lack of sunlight is more likely to trigger suicidal tendencies in people with severe depression. »Considers Professor Vyssoki.
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