LAUSR

Background/aim Researchers worldwide have reported a seasonal pattern of suicides with peaks in spring and early summer; however, only a limited number of studies has evaluated whether meteorological variables may trigger suicides. We therefore aimed to investigate the association between short-term changes of meteorological variables and suicides in Bavaria, Germany, for the period 1990–2006. Methods Daily suicide and meteorological data were available for four Bavarian cities and ten counties. Immediate, delayed and cumulative effects of air temperature, sunshine duration, cloud cover, relative humidity as well as precipitation on suicides were analysed using a confounder-adjusted time-stratified case-crossover approach. In further analysis, we explored potential effect modifications by specific weather conditions (air temperature 8.8°C). The other meteorological variables were not significantly associated with suicides. Conclusion We found a higher risk for suicides in association with short-term increases in air temperature and on days with low to medium cloud cover. This may highlight time periods when people are more likely to commit suicide.