Possible effect of gender and season on the length of hospitalisation in unipolar major depressives

Background: Seasonal variation as well as gender differences of several phenomena of affective disorders are a common topic of interest. Methods: The authors analysed the possible effect of season and gender on the length of hospital stay in 529 in-patients with unipolar major depressive episode. Results: Age and menopausal status alone did not influence the length of hospitalisation but there was a statistical tendency (only for females) for the shortest hospital stay in summer, that reached significance in females younger than 50 years. Conclusions: The results suggest a possible seasonal and gender effect on recovery from major depression. Limitations: Retrospective nature of the study, lack of systematic assessment of clinical response and no data collection about marital status and living conditions, that also can influence the time of discharge.