GALWAY MEDICAL EXPERT SPEAKS OUT ON SURPRISING RESULTS OF STUDY ON SELF-HARM

Date Published: 18-Jun-2009

A Galway medical expert, Dr. Dara Cannon, has spoken out on the surprising results of a study on self-harm.New research shows that self-harm and suicide rates increase during summer months, despite the widely held belief that mental illnesses are more prevalent in the darker winter months. Scientists and medical professionals believe the longer summer days cause a spike in the levels of serotonin which in turn can put people suffering from depression and other mental illnesses at greater risk of self harm or suicide. According to the EU statistics at any one time there are half a million Irish people suffering from an affective or anxiety disorder such as depression.