Abstract
Douglas Drysdale, Pupuke Community Mental Health Centre, North Shore Hospital, Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand:
I am prompted by the article of Owen et al. [1] to submit a similar but less sophisticated analysis of the number of new episodes, including re-presentations, of contact with a 24 h/7 days per week Rapid Response Psychiatric Crisis Team according to the lunar phase.
This work had been undertaken to settle long-running discussions among team members, all of whom but one believed there was an increased incidence of new episodes starting at the time of the full moon.
The numbers of the start of new, or repeated, episodes of contact with the team in the 50 months up to 30 June 1995 were analysed retrospectively. Episodes starting 3 days on either side of and including the night of the full moon were compared with those starting 3 days on either side of the new moon as a control.
There were 1029 episodes starting at the time of the full moon and 1046 at the time of the new moon (X 2=0. 139, not significant).
Hence, the rate of new, or re-starting, episodes of contact with a Psychiatric Crisis Team was not greater at the time of the full moon in comparison with the time of the new moon.