Mental health and the moon

GLaDOS

Cianmcliam wrote: »

My vote is it's a myth.

Could the myth itself be influencing peoples behaviour though I wonder? I don't think there's any physical effect of a full moon, but if people are told the full moon makes people crazy, some people are going to believe it, a self fulfilling prophecy so to speak.

Iwannahurl

The lunar cycle can affect sleep, and sleep disturbance can affect mental states.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10363673

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18786384

My own sleep patterns change according to the seasons, and for some reason I start to wake early every autumn.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21720205

AtomicHorror

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Exactly. All they do is 'gather evidence' and 'deduce' and 'objectify'. They don't have any ideas about what's going on, they are just surmising like the rest of us.

You put those words in quotes like they don't mean anything significant. You have no idea what science is, do you? Beyond the version from films and TV, I mean.

KomradeBishop

I guess in a way the full moon does have an effect on some peoples mental health, in that it gets them believing pseudoscientific nonsense like the Lunar Effect.

the evasion_kid

I know a fella that works in a mental health facility and he's told me numerous times the change of behaviour in patients around full moon time,I think I remember seeing a program about this too were they interviewed two cops who used to patrol a dodgy part of some city and they said the place would go ballistic around a full moon.

KomradeBishop

I guess that also, if some minority of people put credence in the idea of the lunar effect, and then change their own behaviour in odd ways based on that (i.e. deliberately act oddly based on that - more likely with certain mental illnesses), that stuff like that can influence people around them, and spread that way - some interesting historical cases of stuff like that:
http://news.discovery.com/history/history-mass-hysteria-120206.htm

Many religious 'miracles' that are claimed to be witnessed/believed by large numbers of people - when nothing really happened - are probably a good example of this effect, only it was easier for people to fall into that, as religious beliefs like this used to be more credible - whereas stuff like that lunar effect, less so.

Earthhorse

A garda friend of mine was talking to me about this over the weekend but if it's true, wouldn't we see a gradual increase in crazy behaviour as the full moon approaches and then a gradual recession from it afterwards? But no, apparently the tipping point for this effect is the full moon and the full moon only.

buckfasterer

Ask any barman or bouncer about working when it's a full moon. Extra dosage of arsholes make an appearance those nights. I've seen it too many times for it to be coincidence.

The Backwards Man

AtomicHorror wrote: »

You put those words in quotes like they don't mean anything significant. You have no idea what science is, do you? Beyond the version from films and TV, I mean.

Yep, absolutely none, I'm a straw-eating forelock tugging bumkim from the backarse of nowhere, and I like my ancestors before me, I'm as dumb as a rock. It's a miracle we have survived so long considering how little we know about everything.

Hoop66

There's an awful lot of anecdotal evidence: "my buddy works in x and he says it goes crazy at the full moon".

There's very little empirical evidence for it, however:

58,527 police arrests in a 7-year period: no difference in the number of arrests made during any phase of the moon.
Reference: Antisocial behavior and lunar activity: a failure to validate the lunacy myth (1977)

361,580 calls for police assistance in a 3-year period: calls had no relationship to the phase of the moon when the day of the week, holiday and year were controlled.
Reference: Perceptual and Motor Skills, 57:993-994, 1983.

1,289 aggressive "incidents" by hospitalized psychiatric patients in a 105-week period: no significant relationship between the severity or amount of violence/aggression and phase of the moon.
Reference: Lunar cycles and violent behaviour (1998)

The rate of agitation in 24 nursing home residents in a 3-month period: no significant relationship of agitation to moon phase.
Reference: Full moon: Does it influence agitated nursing home residents? (1989)

The number of aggressive offenses (fighting, threatening or assaulting an officer, creating a disturbance) for 1,300 male inmates in a medium security prison in a one year period: no significant relationship between agressive offenses and moon phase.
Reference: Full moon: Aggression in a prison setting as a function of lunar phases. (1998)

1,329 assaults in four prisons in a 2-year period: no difference in the number of assaults on full moon and non-full moon days.
Reference: Atlas, R., Violence in prison. Environmental influences, Enviro. Beh., 16:275-306, 1984.

2,017 homicides in a 3-year period: no relationship between the number of homicides and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Porkorny, A.D., Moon phases, suicide, and homicide, Am. J. Psychiatry, 121:66-67, 1964

20,500 homicides in the United States in a 1-year period: no relationship between the number of homicides and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Temporal variation in suicide and homicide (1979)

1,840 incidences of "acting-out" in people in a psychiatric treatment facility in a 3-year period: no relationship between the number of acting-out incidences and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Lunar phase and acting-out behavior (1986)

23,142 incidences of battery (aggravated assault) in a 7-year period in Germany: no relationship between the number of aggravated assaults and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Relationship between lunar phases and serious crimes of battery: a population-based study (2010)

28064212

Confirmation bias and the lunar cycle: http://comics.rudism.com/cectic/145.png

the evasion_kid

Earthhorse wrote: »

A garda friend of mine was talking to me about this over the weekend but if it's true, wouldn't we see a gradual increase in crazy behaviour as the full moon approaches and then a gradual recession from it afterwards? But no, apparently the tipping point for this effect is the full moon and the full moon only.

As a side note does anyone else get fairly vivid,lucid dreams coming up to and during the full moon?

endacl

Call me crazy, call me wacko, but I have definitely noticed that every full moon, nothing different happens. There's not appreciably any more of anything, or less of anything. Apart from if the full moon occurs in winter of course. If that happens, more people notice it while wearing heavy coats. Of course, this may Not be down to correlation=/=causation. Needs more research.

AtomicHorror

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Yep, absolutely none, I'm a straw-eating forelock tugging bumkim from the backarse of nowhere, and I like my ancestors before me, I'm as dumb as a rock. It's a miracle we have survived so long considering how little we know about everything.

Successful troll. Doh.

Apologies!

AtomicHorror

buckfasterer wrote: »

Ask any barman or bouncer about working when it's a full moon. Extra dosage of arsholes make an appearance those nights. I've seen it too many times for it to be coincidence.

**** those scientific studies. Barmen and bouncers would never spin a yarn.

Sunnyisland

Can we not just ask the moonies...

nelly17

MRI Scans & Depression

It was decided to investigate the surprise further. Under the direction of Michael Rohan, an imaging specialist, 30 people undergoing treatment for manic depression, known as bipolar disorder, were selected for a scanning experiment.

To make sure it was the electromagnetic fields generated by the scanner that were lifting spirits and not other aspects of patient treatment, 10 other patients underwent sham scans for comparison. Finally, to take into account the placebo effect, 14 healthy people were scanned. (The placebo effect causes people to feel better just because they are getting medical attention.)

Twenty-three people with bipolar depression (77 percent) felt better after scanning than before it. Only three (30 percent) of those who received sham scans said they felt better. Four of the healthy comparisons (29 percent) reported that the scans elevated their moods.

If the moons gravitational pull can effect tides, given that we are 75% water it does stand to reason that we can be mentally impacted by its gravitational pull in one way or another

Edit:That said however A full moon is simply a reflection of light - so in all likelyhood while the moon can have an impact physologically a full moon would make no difference

endacl

nelly17 wrote: »

If the moons gravitational pull can effect tides, given that we are 75% water it does stand to reason that we can be mentally impacted by its gravitational pull in one way or another

No it doesn't. A human is a body with water in it, not a body of water.

Slightly different topic, but applicable, and I get to quote myself from a different thread! http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056789714

"Standard pseudo plausible argument. Lunar gravity doesn't actually effect water on the scale we imagine it to. Gravity is the weakest of the four fundamental forces (see here if interested in no longer using pseudoscience to explain bunk: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...es/funfor.html).

The relative weakness of gravity can be easily demonstrated by using a magnet and a paper clip. Place the paper clip on a table. Hold the magnet over it. Marvel as the magnetic force you hold in your mortal hand overcomes the gravitational power of an entire planet! Amaze your friends! If all the water in all the human bodies on earth, in fact all of the water in every living creature on earth, were combined into a single mass, then lunar gravity might have a negligible effect. But there'd be nobody around to measure it. Imagine, if you will, a lake. A large lake. Lake Superior for example (containing more water than all the water contained in every living creature on earth). Tidal effect by the moon's gravity? Zero. Effect of the moon's gravity on the water contained in your cells. Zero. Tomatoes are 99% water. Effect of the moon's gravity on a tomato? A really big one? Zero.

Now, if we consider the Solar System to extend to the heliosphere, or the limit of the Sun's influence, we're still nowhere near the next nearest star, let alone those stars deemed to affect our lives, depending on when we were born. And that's ignoring the fact that the zodiac has shifted since the well-meaning primitives who came up with the system, well.... came up with the system. They did their best with the knowledge available, bless their cotton socks. Even within the solar system, 99% of the mass is tied up in the Sun. A good proportion of the rest lies with Jupiter. Gravity being a coefficient of mass, we're pretty well screened from the negligible gravity of the moon, let alone any constellation you care to consider.

Now to add insult to injury.... The moon doesn't even treat you as an individual. Neither knows nor cares that you (nor I for that matter) exist. In physical terms, the moon (and the sun for that matter) treats the earth and everything on it as a single mass as far as gravity is concerned.

Given all this, how come those enlightened ancients didn't come up with a system codifying the effect of Jupiter's Magnetic field (incidentally, the largest structure in the solar system) on our lives and future prospects, depending on an arbitrary range of dates? They used dots in the sky, and a lot of imaginative polyfilla instead.

The moon's gravity has no effect on your brain, love live or holiday plans. None at all."

Duggy747

Old Man: "Thank you, MacGyver, for saving our village!"

MacGyver: "Oh don't thank me, thank the moon's gravitational pull!"

Akrasia

Hoop66 wrote: »

There's an awful lot of anecdotal evidence: "my buddy works in x and he says it goes crazy at the full moon".

There's very little empirical evidence for it, however:

58,527 police arrests in a 7-year period: no difference in the number of arrests made during any phase of the moon.
Reference: Antisocial behavior and lunar activity: a failure to validate the lunacy myth (1977)

361,580 calls for police assistance in a 3-year period: calls had no relationship to the phase of the moon when the day of the week, holiday and year were controlled.
Reference: Perceptual and Motor Skills, 57:993-994, 1983.

1,289 aggressive "incidents" by hospitalized psychiatric patients in a 105-week period: no significant relationship between the severity or amount of violence/aggression and phase of the moon.
Reference: Lunar cycles and violent behaviour (1998)

The rate of agitation in 24 nursing home residents in a 3-month period: no significant relationship of agitation to moon phase.
Reference: Full moon: Does it influence agitated nursing home residents? (1989)

The number of aggressive offenses (fighting, threatening or assaulting an officer, creating a disturbance) for 1,300 male inmates in a medium security prison in a one year period: no significant relationship between agressive offenses and moon phase.
Reference: Full moon: Aggression in a prison setting as a function of lunar phases. (1998)

1,329 assaults in four prisons in a 2-year period: no difference in the number of assaults on full moon and non-full moon days.
Reference: Atlas, R., Violence in prison. Environmental influences, Enviro. Beh., 16:275-306, 1984.

2,017 homicides in a 3-year period: no relationship between the number of homicides and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Porkorny, A.D., Moon phases, suicide, and homicide, Am. J. Psychiatry, 121:66-67, 1964

20,500 homicides in the United States in a 1-year period: no relationship between the number of homicides and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Temporal variation in suicide and homicide (1979)

1,840 incidences of "acting-out" in people in a psychiatric treatment facility in a 3-year period: no relationship between the number of acting-out incidences and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Lunar phase and acting-out behavior (1986)

23,142 incidences of battery (aggravated assault) in a 7-year period in Germany: no relationship between the number of aggravated assaults and the phase of the moon.
Reference: Relationship between lunar phases and serious crimes of battery: a population-based study (2010)

Pfft
You can prove anything with facts....

endacl

Akrasia wrote: »

Pfft
You can prove anything with facts....

Fact. The only natural predator of anecdote and opinion.

The Backwards Man

Duggy747 wrote: »

Old Man: "Thank you, MacGyver, for saving our village!"

MacGyver: "Oh don't thank me, thank the moon's gravitational pull!"

Ask yourself this? Why did the baddies always lock MacGyver in a shed with a bag of 10-10-20, a length of lead pipe and a clock radio? Mysterious forces at work, that's why.

spitfireIRL

My dad works in a special needs school and swears by it. All of them rowdier and more difficult etc coming up to and including the full mood. Weird.

endacl

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Ask yourself this? Why did the baddies always lock MacGyver in a shed with a bag of 10-10-20, a length of lead pipe and a clock radio? Mysterious forces at work, that's why.

And never searched him for that Swiss Army knife....

BeerWolf

Think I get a little hairier every full moon... think I should start shaving.

YellowFeather

My mum works with people who have special needs, and she firmly believes that the full moon had an effect. She's a sensible, logical (and patient ) person.. But, I still don't believe it.

I think it's a mixture of confirmation bias / white van syndrome, and, the fact that some people, who are more suggestive than others, may have a link in their minds with full moons and different behaviour. I say that as a cynic of everything.. but my impression of my environment can certainly influence my thoughts / behaviour.

Reoil

foggy_lad wrote: »

lunarcy

Erm... http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lunacy

buckfasterer

AtomicHorror wrote: »

**** those scientific studies. Barmen and bouncers would never spin a yarn.

Never told a lie in my life......

Frito

ScienceNerd wrote: »

Did a quick search and this paper suggests a correlation between schizophrenia patients and their condition deteriorating around the full moon. Don't have access to the full paper though.

Would be interesting to see what variables they controlled for.