Lunacy: why is madness associated with the Moon?

Answer 1

lunacy

1. An obsolete term for a form of insanity characterised by alternating lucid and insane periods, believed to be influenced by phases of the moon..

Main Entry: lu·na·cy
Pronunciation: 'lü-n&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -cies
Etymology: lunatic
1 a : INSANITY b : intermittent insanity once believed to be related to phases of the moon

A lunatic (colloquially: "loony") is commonly used term for a person who is mentally ill, dangerous, foolish or unpredictable, a condition once called lunacy.

The word is borrowed from Latin "lunaticus", which gains its stem from "luna" for moon, which denotes the traditional link made in folklore between madness and the phases of the moon. This probably refers to the symptoms of cyclic mood disorders such as bipolar disorder or cyclothymia, the symptoms of which may also go through phases. As yet there is little evidence for any causal link between phases of the moon and the progression of mood disorder symptoms.

In a 1999 Journal of Affective Disorders article, a hypothesis was suggested indicating that the phase of the moon may in the past have had an effect on bipolar patients by providing light during nights which would otherwise have been dark, and affecting susceptible patients through the well-known route of sleep deprivation. With the introduction of electric light, this effect would have gone away, as light would be available every night, explaining the negative results of modern studies. They suggest ways in which this hypothesis might be tested.

Mental institutions used to be called "lunatic asylums" or colloquially, "loony bins".

In Russian and Polish, a lunatic refers to a sleepwalker, literally "one who walks under the moon" or "moonwalker".

In Romanian, a word with the meaning of "lunatic" is "zănatic", derived from Latin "dianaticus", from Diana, the Roman goddess of the Moon.[1]

In England and Wales the Lunacy Acts 1890 - 1922 referred to lunatics, but the Mental Treatment Act 1930 changed the legal term to Person of Unsound Mind, an expression which was replaced under the Mental Health Act 1959 by mental illness. Person of unsound mind was the term used in 1950 in the English version of the European Convention on Human Rights as one of the types of person who could be deprived of liberty by a judicial process. The 1930 act also replaced Asylum by Mental Hospital. Criminal Lunatics became Broadmoor Patients in 1948 under the National Health Service Act. The terms are still used by journalists, especially in tabloid newspapers.

Many women suffer from premenstrual syndrome, which can involve depression and irritability. The menstrual cycle is more-or-less the same length as the lunar cycle.

Answer 2

Whereas the Sun provides obvious energies of heat and light and growth, people were unsure of what the paler, more subtle energies of the Moon were doing. So associations with emotional and magical and sometimes sinister properties were assigned to the Moon. Even today some people are convinced that there is an increase in violence, odd behaviors or mental illness during a full Moon (despite evidence to the contrary). I have often heard people (ER docs or nurses or fellow EMS) say "Must be a full Moon", and they assume it is, but the moon is actually in some other phase, but they do not take the time to check.

Answer 3

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Lunacy: why is madness associated with the Moon?

Answer 4

I think this is because the moon controls the tides and our bodies are designed with a large proportion of water.....Some people believe that is why people can be affected on a full moon......Police, Hospitals etc have all reported a large increase of incidents on the nights of a full moon....coincidence maybe. The only thing I can relate to is that I managed a women's refuge for a long period and we also had an increase of incidents around these times so much so that we started making a log of issues that occurred it became quite spooky to the point that we could prepare for extra security at these times....we certainly got some funny looks from police officers when asked why we had extra staff on shift ..lol

Answer 5

There is a theory with some support about the tidal forces of the moon. In the same theory there was a study of the amounts of people who went out--before electricity or gas--on nights of the full moon because of the very practical reason they could see where they were going. Things tend to happen when you have many people outdoors that are normal indoors for the night hours.

Answer 6

Lunatic Etymology

Answer 7

the moon also has a magnetic influence on the earth, and us, taking into account that the brain functions on electrical impulses. the increase of incidents in what used to be called ''lunatic asylums'' has been documented too.

Answer 8

definately, my animals (3 cats and a malamute) all behave weirdly on a full moon. Ive also read that casualy departments are fuller at these times. probably the magnetic pull playing with the brain!!

Answer 9

No one really knows, but it is noiced in mental institutions that the patients become more restless when there is a full moon yet no one has the answer as to why this is.

Answer 10

Dunno, but as sailors we were warned not to sleep out on deck where the moon could shine on your face as this would change your features into something ugly and drive you mad. I often took to the upper deck in hot weather but I'm not the one to say if it made me ugly, and I don't feel mad.