Analysis of temporal distribution of suicides. Methodological notes on comparison of dates of death and dates of suicidal act

The short-term temporal cycles in the frequency of suicide for the Province of Florence 1985-1987 has been analyzed. The authors initially present a comparison between the Date of Suicidal Act and the recorded Death Certificate Date. In their data the difference, still debated in the literature, appears of no practical importance. The results show that suicides peak on Spring and Fall, with a temporal variation with regard to the first decade of the month, high at the beginning and low at the end. No evident pattern has been explained by day of the week, unlikely any reports from the literature. On the contrary, the effect of the National Holidays are striking, showing a decrease on the holidays and a sharp rise on the subsequent day. Language: it