Lunacy

[Quid est Veritas?]

Bipolar mood cycles and lunar tidal cycles

So lunar cycles have been conclusively connected to Mood changes and manic phases in certain subset of Bipolar Mood Disorder. The old ideas of Lunacy and being Moonstruck seem to have been vindicated. Astrology finally got on the board after the whitewash given it by Astronomy.

Anyway, anecdotally we always see more psychiatric patients during a full moon, though Medicine always dismissed it as artifact or happenstance. Interesting findings.

Here is a BBC article about it too, that talks about the possibility that it may be due to fluctuations in the magnetic field impacting mood in sensitive individuals, the moon's gravitation (similar to tides), or less likely moonlight itself.

Is the Moon impacting your mood and wellbeing?

Edit:
I am speaking of this specific group, of rapid cycling Bipolar mood disorder patients, when I say conclusively correlated to Lunar cycles. This of course, does not mean causation has been shown, nor that this can be generalised to everyone or even outside this specific subset of Bipolars. Just to make this clear, as everyone on this thread seem confused. However, it is quite clear that this specific group did show such correlation.

 

[Tanj]

How does this have anything to do with astrology...or astronomy for that matter?

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

How does this have anything to do with astrology...or astronomy for that matter?

It shows the phases of the moon do influence the behaviour of certain humans. Not perfect, just a funny observation.

 

[Sabertooth]

Astrology finally got on the board after the whitewash given it by Astronomy.

What we now call astrology was once (and should properly be) called astromancy. It has not been validated by moon/tide cycles in any way.

Moon/tide cycles are a function of old-school astrology, the use of the sky's features in calendar and navigational calculations.

...or less likely moonlight itself.

That can be ruled out by evaluated the impact of cloud cover on observed cycles.

 

[Tanj]

It shows the phases of the moon do influence the behaviour of certain humans. Not perfect, just a funny observation.

Well, that's my new thing for today. I didn't know astrology did that.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

For the record, the thing about mentioning Astrology was an attempt at a joke. Not meant to be taken seriously.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Bipolar mood cycles and lunar tidal cycles

So lunar cycles have been conclusively connected to

I wouldn't get that dogmatic over one study with 17 patients. There has been decades of negative results of lunar effects on people. And although the title might make you think there was a nice 'moonthly' regularity of 29.5 days, the cycles in the study include various multiples and even 3:2 'resonances' of multiple lunar cycles. I would like some independent replication before I lend any credence to this.

 

[Lost4words]

I have a few cousins who go absolutely wild when the full moon shows. Mind you, they are wolves!

 

[Ophiolite]

I have a few cousins who go absolutely wild when the full moon shows. Mind you, they are wolves!

Good one: that's a howler.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

The moon has affected everyone who posts in this thread.

 

[Lost4words]

The moon has affected everyone who posts in this thread.

Not me as i am a domesticated dog!

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Not me as i am a domesticated dog!

Whatever.....

you posted in a thread about the moon, so it affected you - took time, and perhaps no thought, but probably some emotion .........

 

[Lost4words]

Whatever.....

you posted in a thread about the moon, so it affected you - took time, and perhaps no thought, but probably some emotion .........

Woof?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Woof?

Woofing at the moon ? Hoping some day to grow into /able to/ howl at the moon ! ?

 

[Lost4words]

Woofing at the moon ? Hoping some day to grow into /able to/ howl at the moon ! ?

Lol

 

[Sif]

.

 

[brinny]

i did see a crescent of a moon a few mornings ago, very very early. in the eastern sky , just before the glimmers of dawn's light began over the horizon, and it effected me quite profoundly.....

it was sooooo beautiful that all i could was stare at it and wish that i could capture it in a painting or a photograph.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

I wouldn't get that dogmatic over one study with 17 patients. There has been decades of negative results of lunar effects on people. And although the title might make you think there was a nice 'moonthly' regularity of 29.5 days, the cycles in the study include various multiples and even 3:2 'resonances' of multiple lunar cycles. I would like some independent replication before I lend any credence to this.

If you read the study, you'd see it was in rapid-cycling Bipolar Mood Disorder, so we are dealing with a tiny subset of Bipolar sufferers - so 17 patient series is plenty. Further, the Q value is equivalent to a p of 0.05, which is rock-solid.

So yes, Conclusively shown that the moon impacts sufferers of rapid cycling Bipolar Disorder. Nowhere did I say we showed lunar effects on anyone else outside this group. But this is as clear and conclusive as high blood pressure raising risk for heart attacks. Its externalisation to effects outside this specific subgroup of people has of course not been demonstrated, so we can't comment on external validity, but the internal validity is very much a done deal.

 

[essentialsaltes]

If you read the study, you'd see it was in rapid-cycling Bipolar Mood Disorder, so we are dealing with a tiny subset of Bipolar sufferers - so 17 patient series is plenty. Further, the Q value is equivalent to a p of 0.05, which is rock-solid.

95% is rock-solid?

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

95% is rock-solid?

The q value represents the statistical probability that this is a false positive. The actual result is definitive, the probability this result is false quite low therefore. It perfectly fulfills Fisherian criteria, so on the grounds of Evidence Based Medicine, quite solid. Better than antidepressants vs placebo, for instance.