A retired Paramedics musings: Lunar Events

January, 2014

I have often wondered, as I am sure many of you have, why certain accidents or calamities happen more frequently during a certain time of the month than others. Sure, violence seems to increase when the checks come out as do car accidents, but what is it that predisposes folks to act out, other than those factors of certainty like money and alcohol.

Why, when alcohol isn’t involved, does domestic violence seem to be more prevalent when there is a full moon. According to Full Moon Antics (http://www.bubblews.com/news/1427486-full-moon-antics) “Some psychologists say they can tell when a full moon is approaching by their visits with their patients. People are not as in control of their emotions and impulses. That could be because the phase of the moon affects our sleep.

Studies have shown that people have a harder time getting to sleep. They sleep for less time and report a poorer quality of sleep during a full moon, even when they are not aware of what phase the moon is in.”

Frankly, I’m not sure if they sleep better or worse, but wackiness prevails.

Take for example the suicide rate. My educated guess is that most people who take the ultimate step of killing themselves aren’t tired. Maybe tired of living, but not physically exhausted. They are typically depressed, often manic, have taken the time to spend hours or days even to author a note to their loved ones and finally commit the ultimate act of (what some might call) selfishness. We once saw a sad case of a 30 something man who put a shotgun in his mouth and there were 99 messages on his answering machine. He either didn’t answer or was already dead the 99 times his mom called him.

Lunar activity not only affects fish, tides, reptiles and other mammals,, but the profound effect it has on fragile humans is profound and unless recognized, can easily be dismissed as just another person who is acting out.

Those of us who see people at their best and at their worst owe it to our patients to be overly sensitive to the sensitivity that many experience to lunar events.

Do your patient a huge favor. If the sky is clear, look up and gaze at the stars and the moon. The explanation may be paramountly clear as to why they are acting out.

Our job isn’t just recognizing a 3^rd degree heart block or an overdose of xanax. It is to be sensitive to psychological variances in behavior based on things we may not fully understand.