Season of birth in schizophrenia: Evidence for confinement of an excess of winter births to patients without a family history of mental disorder

E. O'Callaghan, T. Gibson, H. A. Colohan, D. Walshe, P. Buckley, C. Larkin, J. L. Waddington

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

102 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although it is well recognised that schizophrenic patients are more often born in winter, the significance of this finding remains obscure. Data relating to season of birth and family history were analysed for 561 patients with an ICD-9 diagnosis of schizophrenia. Patients with no family history of any psychiatric disorder group were significantly more likely to be born in winter than patients with a first-degree relative affected by schizophrenia. In comparison with normal population controls, only those without a family history exhibited a significant excess of winter births, suggesting an environmental factor of greater aetiological significance in these patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)764-769
Number of pages6
JournalBritish Journal of Psychiatry
Volume158
Issue numberJUNE
DOIs
StatePublished - 1991

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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