Geographical variation in the seasonality of suicide.

This paper reports the results of a study on the seasonal variation of suicides occurred in Italy during the years 1969-1981. We found evidence for a cyclical pattern with one cycle per year for North/Central as well as for South Italy with no difference between the two parts in the variance explained by it. However, urban regions showed a higher seasonality than the rural parts of Italy, independently of their geographical location. To account for these findings, the hypothesis of a strong seasonal related urban rhythm has been put forward.