Lunar cycle effect on patient visit to psychiatry hospital emergency room: studying the ‘Transylvanian effect’ in an Islamic society

Abstract

The belief of the effect of the full moon on mental illness is well established in western societies. Studies made in the past have shown conflicting results. Both psychological and biological theories have been proposed in trying to explain the myth. In our study, we examined the lunar cycle effect on patients with mental illness attending the emergency room (ER) in a psychiatric hospital in Kuwait. We included Muslim patients only. As the notion of the effect of lunar cycle on mental illness is not held in Islam, our study acted as a blind control study examining if there is a real biological basis for the myth. Patients' visits were classified according to age, gender, day of visit, lunar phase and diagnosis or presenting complaint. There were no statistical differences in the number of ER visits by all patients during the different moon phases. There were differences in the number of ER visits between the different diagnoses and presenting complaints, with depression most common and catatonia the least common. We conclude, therefore, that the lunar cycle has no influence on ER visits by patients with mental illness and if there is such an effect, then it is mostly psychological rather than biological.

Keywords:

• lunar cycle
• moon
• Transylvanian
• mental illness
• psychiatry
• emergency room
• Kuwait
• Islam
• Muslim