Christmas and Psychopathology: Data From a Psychiatric Emergency Room Population
Abstract
It is widely believed among psychiatrists and laymen alike that Christmas and other holidays are associated with an increased incidence of psychopathology. Statistical studies, however, consistently have been shown the Christmas season to be associated with a low incidence of suicide and psychiatric hospitalization. The present study examines the number and type of visits to a 24-hour psychiatric emergency service over a seven-year period. There is a decrease in the number of visits during the days and weeks before Christmas and an increase of roughly the same magnitude afterward. The effect is more prominent for women and older persons but does not seem to differentially affect persons of different racial, marital, or diagnostic status.
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When parents think their children have been given a drink containing sugar (even if it is really sugar-free), they rate their children's behaviour as more hyperactive.
“When parents think their children have been given a drink containing sugar (even if it is really sugar-free), they rate their children's behaviour as more hyperactive.4”
From Festive medical myths (2008) · cites this paper as [4]
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- Authors
- Hillard, J. R.
- Corresponding author
- Hillard, James R.
- ORCID
- Hillard, James R.
- Venue
- Archives of General Psychiatry
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 1981-12-01
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1377
- ISSN
- 0003-990X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2168579609
- Cited by
- 35
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2023: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 0.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of General Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- Christmas, holidays, psychopathology, suicide, psychiatric hospitalization, seasonal variation, women, older adults
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Age Factors, Mental Disorders, Emergency Services, Psychiatric, Female, Holidays, Humans, Male, North Carolina, Sex Factors, Stress, Psychological
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