Mortality from suicide and drug-related poisoning by day of the week in England and Wales, 1993-2002

Health Stat Q. 2005 Autumn:(27):13-6.

Abstract

This article describes the pattern of mortality by day of the week in deaths from suicide and drug-related poisoning. An increased proportion of suicides occurred on Mondays, while the single day on which the largest number of suicides occurred was 1st January 2000, a Saturday. Together these suggest an effect of entering a new time period. The pattern for drug-related poisonings varied according to the coroner's verdict. An increased proportion of deaths from drug abuse/dependence and accidental drug-related poisoning deaths occurred on Saturdays among males, while the most common day of death for drug-related poisoning deaths with a suicide verdict was Monday for both sexes.

MeSH terms

  • Drug Overdose / mortality*
  • England / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mortality / trends*
  • Poisoning*
  • Suicide*
  • Vital Statistics
  • Wales / epidemiology