Effect of Full moon and New moon on Psychiatric illnesses

Dr. Aziz Ahmed Quadri,Director of Mental Health Center,Aurangabad, M.S.

Dr. Sneha Karmani,DNB 2nd year, Mental Health Center, Aurangabad, M.S.

Introduction:

The superstitions about the moon’s effect on life on

earth have existed for centuries.

We often hear someone say, “Is there a full moon

around?”

As an educated person one would rubbish such a

thought, or simply get amazed, and move on.

Psychiatry & the moon:Often in psychiatric hospitals there are anecdotal

evidences of someone getting violent on a full

moon, or disappearing in a fugue or becoming

withdrawn on a new moon.

There are several incidences when the patients

themselves or their family members complain of

fluctuations in their mood or behavior around full

moon or new moon time.

The Lunar EffectThe word ‘lunatic’ was frequently used to denote

mentally ill persons once upon a time, is derived

after the Roman goddess of moon, Luna.

The influence of the moon on behavior has been

called "The Lunar Effect" or "The Transylvania

Effect."

The original meaning of the phrase new moon was

the first visible crescent of the Moon, after

conjunction with the Sun.

The astronomical new moon is sometimes known as

the dark moon , thus on new moon day, the non-

illuminated, i.e. dark side of the Moon faces towards

Earth.

New

Moon

The new moon marks the beginning of the month in

lunar calendars such as the Muslim calendar, and in

lunisolar calendars such as the Hebrew, Hindu, and

Buddhist calendars.

People generally wait for new moon to start new

works.

New

Moon

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the

Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the

Sun.

Full Moons are traditionally associated with

temporal insomnia, insanity (hence the terms

lunacy and lunatic) and various "magical

phenomena" such as lycanthropy.

FULL

MOON

The full moon has been linked to crime,

suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents,

birthrates, fertility, and werewolves, among

other things.

Some people even

buy and sell stocks according to phases of the

moon

.

FULL

MOON

Earlier times:

Greek philosopher Aristotle and Roman historian

Pliny the Elder suggested that the brain was the

“moistest” organ in the body and thereby most

susceptible to the pernicious influences of the moon,

which triggers the tides.

Belief in the “lunar lunacy effect,” or “Transylvania

effect,” persisted in Europe through the Middle Ages,

when humans were widely reputed to transmogrify

into werewolves or vampires during a full moon.

Present times:Even today many people think the mystical powers of the full

moon induce erratic behaviors, psychiatric hospital admissions,

suicides, homicides, emergency room calls, traffic accidents, fights

at professional hockey games, dog bites and all manner of strange

events.

One survey revealed that 45 percent of college students believe

moonstruck humans are prone to unusual behaviors.

Another surveys suggest that mental health professionals

may be still more likely than laypeople to hold this

conviction.

In 2007 several police departments in the U.K. even added

officers on full-moon nights in an effort to cope with

presumed higher crime rates.

• Lunacy and the Full Moon: Does a full moon really trigger strange behavior? By Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz  | February 9, 2009 | 52; Scientific American Mind.

Spiritual science:

There are some finer differences between the effect

of new moon and full moon on man.

Spiritual science: Finer differences between the effect of new moon and full moon on man.

Full moon effect

Adverse more on the physical body

more apparent,

Therefore more distressing.

New moon effect

More on the mind.

More intangible

(subtle).

Between new moon and full moon the effects of new

moon are less noticeable to us.

Ion theory

Ions have an effect on body’s hormones and chemical

messengers which affect the brain.

All the air you breathe has some quantity of Aero-Ions.

Ions are charged particles in the air (100-1000/cmm). 

Some ions are negatively charged (Negative Ions) and

some positively charged (Positive Ions).

Ion theory

Ion Scientists have determined over and over that an

imbalance in the ratio between Positive and Negative Ions

has a profound effect on both your mental and physical

well being.

If you breathe large amounts of positive ions without an

equal amount of negative ions, you will actually become

lethargic and in some cases sick (high positive ion

concentrations in the air are associated with the full moon).

Air containing more negative ions and fewer positive

ions has shown to be beneficial and without side

effects.

Hormonal reactions to increased positive ions in the

air (Full Moon Effect) cause hyperactivity,

depression, violent behavior, road rage, higher

occurrences of migraines and asthma.  Even bees are

known to sting without provocation on higher

positive ion ratios.

75% of  the general population react favorably to

negative ions but are adversely affected by positive

ions, while the other 25% react in the opposite way,

finding higher positive ion days euphoric and higher

negative ion days boring.  These people compensate

for the stress caused by positive ions with sufficient

adrenaline production.

In other words, 75% of the general population goes

into different ranges of depression and 25% become

hyperactive. We are all affected somewhat by higher

positive ion ratios. There are no side effects from

negative ions

Moon’s effect on waterThe full moon’s supposed effects on behavior arise

from its influence on water as the human body is ~80

%water (Miami psychiatrist Arnold Lieber) perhaps the

moon works its mischievous magic by somehow

disrupting the alignment of water molecules in the

nervous system.

But there are at least three reasons why this explanation

doesn’t hold true.

1. the gravitational effects of the moon are far too

minuscule to generate any meaningful effects on brain

activity, let alone behavior. a mosquito sitting on our

arm exerts a more powerful gravitational pull on us

than the moon does.

2. The moon’s gravitational force affects only open

bodies of water, such as oceans and lakes, but not

contained sources of water, such as the human brain.

3. The gravitational effect of the moon is just as potent

during new moons—when the moon is invisible to us

—as it is during full moons.

To find out the correlation between phases of the moon

and symptoms of psychiatric patients.

A total of 200 psychiatric in-patients and out-patients were

interviewed.

Methodology:

History was reviewed in brief. Patients were assigned to

ICD-10 broad categories as per the diagnosis.

Reported change in symptoms/severity with respect to full

moon and new moon or peri- full moon and peri-new moon

was recorded as per the pre-designed questionnaire.

The questionnaire consisted of basic socio-demographic

data, along with questions probing into the details of

diagnosis, duration of illness and treatment.

It later included questions on effect of full moon and new

moon as perceived by patients and their family members.

Age group

People over 50

years were more

likely to hold such

beliefs than

patients in other

age groups.

Age group

Yes respondents

No/ don’t know

No. of respondents

10-20 15 (37.5%) 25 40

21-30 26 (32.5%) 54 80

31-40 15 (28.84%) 37 52

41-50 4 (22.22%) 14 18

50-70 4 (40%) 6 10

total 64 136 200

Sex:Sex Yes No/

don’t know

No. of respondents

Male 28 (20.74%)

107 135

Female

36 (42.35%)

49 85

Total 64 136 200

Females were twice as

likely as males to believe

in lunar effect.

Marital status: Marital status

Yes No/ don’t know

No. of respondents

divorced 1 20% 4 5

Engaged 1 24% 3 4

married 44 34.92%

82 126

Separated 3 33.33%

6 9

unmarried 15 30% 35 50

widow 0 0% 6 6

Total 64 136 200

There wasn’t much

difference between

marital status of

candidates and belief in

lunar effect.

Education:Education Yes No/

Don’t knowNo. of respondents

Illiterate 10 55.55% 8 18

Pre-primary 0 0% 1 1

Primary 8 34.78% 15 23

Secondary 29 31.52% 63 92

Higher secondary

10 27.02% 27 37

Graduation 6 28.57 15 21

Post-graduation

1 12.5% 7 8

Total 64 136 200

Prevalence was

highest in the

illiterate, with

decrease in such

beliefs seen with

increasing education

levels

Religion:Religion No of yes

respondentsNo/ don’t know

No of respondents

Buddhist 3 23.07% 10 13

Hindu 23 33.33% 46 69

Christian 0 0% 1 1

Muslim 38 32.47% 79 117

Others 0 0% 0 0

total 64 136 200

Such belief was

slightly more

common in Hindus

than Muslims,

followed by

Buddhists.

Occupation:

Occupation No. of Yes respondents

No/ don’t know

No. of respondents

Business 2 16.66% 10 12

Farming 8 34.78% 15 23

Labour 13 50% 13 26

Professional 1 14.28% 6 7

Retired 0 0% 2 2

Unemployed 4 26.66% 11 15

housewife 30 31.91% 64 94

student 5 31.25 11 16

others 1 20% 4 5

total 64 136 200

Patients from labor

class were more likely

to have such a belief,

followed by farmers,

housewives and

students.

Residence:

Patients from rural

population were

slightly more likely

than urbanites to

believe in the lunar

effect.

Residence Yes respondents

No/ don’t know

No. of respondents

Rural 40 35.08% 74 114

Urban 24 27.90% 62 86

Total 64 136 200

Type of family: There was not

much difference

between belief in

lunar effect in

patients coming

from joint or

nuclear families.

Type of Family

No. of Respondents

No/ don’t know

No. of Respondents

Nuclear 29 32.22% 61 90

Joint 35 31.81% 75 110

Total 64 136 200

Social class:

Patients from below

poverty line had

highest percentage

of such beliefs,

followed by lower

middle class and

poor patients

Social Class

No. Of yes Respondents

No/ don’t know

No. Of Respondents

Upper High

0 0% 0 0

High 0 0% 1 1

Upper middle

7 18.42% 31 38

Lower middle

34 35.41% 62 96

Poor 20 33.33% 40 60

BPL 3 60% 2 5

Total 64 136 200

Diagnostic categories:

Majority patients

with substance-

related disorders

held such beliefs,

followed by

childhood/

adolescent

disorders, followed

by schizophrenia

and neurotic

disorders

Code ICD-10 Category No. of Yes Respondents

No/ don’t know

No. of Respondents

F10-F19

Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use

5 71.42% 2 7

F20-F29

Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders

35

32.71% 72 107

F30-F39

Mood (affective) disorders

16

26.66% 44 60

F40-F48

Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders

7 31.81% 15 22

F50-F59

Behavioral syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors

0 0% 2 2

F90-F98

Behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence

1 50% 1 2

Total 64 136 200

Effect of moon

No of respondents

Yes 64No 103

Don’t know

33

Total 200

Difference noticed by: No. of Respondents

Patient 16

Family members/Care-givers 22

Both Patient & Care-givers 26

Total 64

Noticed fluctuation in emotion and behavior prior to illness

Most of the

patients noticed

the lunar effect

on their behavior/

emotion after

onset of their

illness

Noticed fluctuation in emotion and behavior prior to illness

No. of Respondents

Yes 6No 58Total 64

.

Duration of illness:

There was no

significant

difference

between duration of

illness and such

beliefs.

Duration of illness

No. of Respondents

No/ don’t know

No. of Respondents

Less than 6months

9 34.61%

17 26

>6months < 1year

8 32%

17 25

>1year < 3years

16 36.36%

28 44

>3 years 31 29.52%

74 105

Total 64 136 200

Regular on t/t and Follow up

People who were

not regular on T/t

and F/up were more

likely to hold such

beliefs.

Probably their belief

in same could

contribute to the

irregularity seen in

T/t

Regular on t/t and Follow up

Yes response

No/ Don’t know

No. of respondents

Yes 58 31.69%

125 183

No 6 35.29%

11 17

Total 64 136 200

Effect of T/t on symptoms

92% of patients

believed that

treatment had

decreased their

symptoms

Effect of t/t on symptoms

No. of Respondents

Increased with t/t

0

Decreased with t/t

59 (92.18%)

No effect of t/t on symptoms

3

This was patient’s first visit

2

Total 64

Whether symptoms were same or different?Most of them

perceived the same

symptoms as that

of their primary

psychiatric

symptomatology

during the full moon/

new moon.

Symptomsare

No. ofRespondents

Same 61Different 2Same, withnew/different

symptoms

1

Total 64

Frequency of perceived change

1/3rd reported a

change with every

cycle, 1/3rd with most

cycles and 1/3rd

patients with

occasional cycles

only.

Frequency of perceived change

No. of Respondents

Occasional cycles only 21

Most Cycles 21

Almost every lunar cycle

22

Total 64

Severity concurrent with the lunar phase:

100% patients (yes

responders)

believed symptom

severity increased

with full moon/ new

moon.

Severity as perceived by Yes Respondents

No. of Respondents

More Severe 64

No change 0

Total 64

Studies showing a positive correlation

18,495 records from patients admitted to a psychiatric

hospital in an 11-year period: admissions for

psychosis were highest during the new moon

and lowest during the full moon. [Reference:

Lunar madness: an empirical study (1977)]

25,568 psychiatric emergency room visits in a 13-

year period: visits increased near the first

quarter moon and a decreased around the new

moon and full moon. [Reference:

Human aggression and the lunar synodic cycle (1978)]

Psychologists, however, have found that

there is no strong evidence for effects on

human behavior around the time of a full

moon.

They find that studies are generally not

consistent, with some showing a positive

effect and others showing a negative

effect.

Kelly, Rotton, and Culver suspect four factors:

i. Media effects,

ii. Folklore and tradition,

iii. Misconceptions, and

iv. Cognitive biases. 

v. A fifth factor should be considered, as well:

Communal reinforcement

The media perpetuate lunar myths.

Full moon and lunar effects; The Skeptic’s Dictionary.

76,065 calls to a crisis center in a 4-year

period: increased calls by females

during the new moon period;

decreased calls by males during the

new moon period. [Reference:

Sex difference in response to stress by lunar

month: a pilot study of four years' crisis-cal

l frequency.

(2003)]

Moonstruck! Does The Full Moon Influence Behavior? washington.edu/ neuroscience for kids

Why the association between craziness and the moon?

It is an ancient science that has not been

replaced with the newer theories.

The moon, however, holds no sway in the

scientific prospective of the world, but in

people’s minds,

It functions as such a key figure that it

would be foolish to say the full moon

completely and utterly lacks control over

events.

Instead of directly studying the moon’s

influence on the world, the power of

common belief should be investigated

When people feel the same way about

something, they create a large enough

mental influence that they can sometimes

will the event they imagine into a reality.

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