Well, not really astrology, but researchers are evidently finding more and more correlations between birth month and various mental and emotional illnesses later in life.
The effect was first noticed as far back as 1929, when Swiss psychologist Moritz Tramer reported that people born in late winter were more likely to develop schizophrenia. We now know that for people born in the northern hemisphere in February, March and April, the risk of developing schizophrenia is between 5 and 10 per cent greater than for those born at other times of the year. The effect has been replicated numerous times over the decades and is far from trivial. According to a study carried out at Aarhus
University Hospital, Denmark, the increased risk of schizophrenia that comes with a winter birthday is almost twice the increase in risk linked to having a parent or sibling with the disorder.Season of birth seems to be linked to other conditions, too. A recent study of more than 25,000 suicides in England and Wales found that 17 per cent more people who had committed suicide had birthdays in April, May and June than in the rest of the year. That’s late spring and early summer in the northern hemisphere. Similarly, people with anorexia in the northern hemisphere are 13 per cent more likely to have been be born between April and June than in other months. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s best
to be born later in the year, however. Autumn birthdays are associated with an 8 per cent increase in the likelihood of suffering panic attacks, for example, and a small but significant increase in alcoholism in men.
Figuring out why it’s happening has, like most such things, been a bit of a challenge, since the effects are significant, but still subtle. Various explanations tend to focus on seasonal effects on the mother during pregnancy (e.g., illnesses during the winter, effects of sunlight or lack thereof — though given a 9 month gestational span, figuring out when such effects might come most into play is an open question, too) and during conception (are anorexic mothers more likely to conceive during warm
summer months?).
Interesting stuff.
(via Collision Detection)
I’m just glad you specified correlation.
Oh, defintely. Folks are far from establishing causation (especially since the effect is by no means “automatic”).
They forgot us bipolars. Happens in many of the winter months, but I know bipolars all over the year in birthdates.
It may be that’s not one of the conditions correlated with birth month. And, of course, none of this is absolute — alcoholics and dyslexics are born all year.