Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lunacy not linked to dark side of the moon

Roger Dobson
Sunday 13 April 1997 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The full moon looks finally to have been give a clean bill of health as a cause of mental illness. Although history and literature are peppered with cases of mentally unbalanced acts linked to specific parts of the lunar cycle - hence the word lunatic - new research may have finally disproved the theory.

Despite scepticism about the effects of the moon, there is still a belief that it can affect moods, with reports that some medical consultation rates for anxiety and depression wax and wane at different parts of the cycle.

To test the lunar-effect theory, a team of researchers set out to trace the activities of more than 700 anxious and depressed patients over an 18-year period to see if their psychological illness was affected by the moon. Their conclusion is that it probably wasn't. But the team does not discount the lunar effect altogether and says some individuals may have mood swings on certain days of the lunar cycle.

The research was based on the number of times the patients arranged an appointment to see their GP during the different phases of 221 lunar cycles over the 18 years.

There was little difference, but the report of the research says: "It might well be that the moon has only a moderate and short-term impact, not leading to consultations."

The report, in the current issue of the International Journal of Social Psychiatry, also suggests the possibility that individuals may have been so incapacitated by the effects of the moon that they were unable to make an appointment. It suggests further research, and adds: "An influence of the moon on psychological well-being and behaviour may have important economic and public health implications due to health service use and changes in job performance, including absenteeism, or other social activities."

One of the researchers, Professor Greg Wilkinson, of the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said yesterday: "Despite scepticism, the idea of the moon having an affect on mental health is still widely believed, even by some doctors.

"We don't dismiss the idea of an effect, and it is possible, for instance, that patients suffering with the effects might not have been capable of making an appointment."

Theories about how the moon might have an effect on mood usually rely on the changing gravitational pull of the moon.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in