Self-inflicted burns: a sporadic phenomenon.

Self-inflicted burns are a regular cause of admission to burn units. Historically, a full moon has been associated with mental instability. Circadian rhythms and seasonal changes are known to influence human affect. Such cosmic effects, however, have not yet been studied for self-inflicted burns. In this regard, the results of a retrospective analysis of 184 self-inflicted burns admitted during a 20-year period to the Birmingham Burns Centre are presented. The analysis fails to show a connection between the timing of self-inflicted burns and cosmic events. Such incidents are random, not influenced by the day of the week, first or second half of the month, seasonal variation or phase of the lunar cycle.