[Studies on the relation between seasons and mental disorders]

Studies published in literature have claimed that there are interconnections between seasons and mental diseases. However, such conclusions are unacceptable, since they have no methodological foundation: whatever was claimed to have been measured, was actually not measured at all. This makes any discussions on the causes of such interconnections redundant. What was actually found, were certain connections between rates of hospitalisation and certain seasons. In our study, such relationships were also measured, but partly we also found other seasonal variations in hospital admission rates. The only conclusion that can be drawn from these observations is that, while there are certain connections between seasons and hospitalisation, the reasons for such variations are rules and conditions governing the admission to hospitals which do not bear any relation to the season at a particular time. Such relations, if any, are probably so highly complex that it will be necessary for establishing any causal relationship to gradually eliminate any possible disturbing factors by examining their impact and importance in each case. This requires a stepwise and extremely cautious approach.