Monthly variation in the pattern of extramural psychiatric care

Data from the South-Verona Psychiatric Case Register were used to cast light on seasonal variation in the demand for extramural psychiatric care. Using harmonic analysis, a complex pattern of seasonal variation emerged, but the first harmonic (1 cycle per year) was consistently the most important. This applied to both sexes and to all diagnostic groups examined, except schizophrenic psychosis. The seasonal variation in extramural contacts could not be accounted for by variation in the number of patients in contact, but was found to be partly due to variations in the availability and supply of psychiatric care. Our examination of the amplitude of the cyclical fluctuation led us to conclude that is has trivial implications for service organization, thus supporting previous findings from the primary medical care setting. © 1987 Springer-Verlag.