SEASON OF BIRTH AND SCHIZOPHRENIA IN TASMANIA

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether t here was a significant seasonal variation in the birth dates of patien ts with schizophrenia born in Tasmania. Method: The season of birth in Tasmanian-born patients with schizophrenia (n=1412), born between 191 9-1970, was compared with general population data. Results: No signifi cant variation in month or quarter of birth was detected for the subje cts with schizophrenia, Neither was there any significant seasonal exc ess when data from different decades were analysed separately, nor for subsidiary analyses of gender or paranoid/non paranoid subtype. Concl usion: These results are compared with those of six other published st udies of Australasian-born subjects identified through registers in di fferent States. While both positive and negative results are reported, no clear pattern emerges, The relevance of season of birth to the dev elopment of schizophrenia in Australia remains an open question.