
Myth: Psychiatric & Emergency Room Visits Increase During A Full Moon
You have likely heard someone reference that things are going weird where they are because “it’s a full moon.” This has often been referenced in the medical world too by people due to its colloquial use everywhere else. Due to the huge belief that ER visits go up during full moon periods, a group of Iranian researchers conducted a study in 2004 to see if there was any truth to it. During a 13-month period, 58,000 trauma patients were admitted to three hospitals which was the highest amount in Tehran. They followed the Lunar Calendar for the study, ensuring they caught every full moon. The result of the study was that trauma patients were not admitted to the ER anymore than they were during other periods. They also did not see an increase in attempted suicide or assault cases during full moons either.