Summer is not all sunshine

Being born in the summer could mean you grow up unhappy and unable to make friends, experts said today.

Being born in June or July can make a person more susceptible to a form of schizophrenia that can lead sufferers to withdraw socially.

Dr Erick Messias of the American National Institute for Health studied 1,594 patients from England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain and America.

He found more patients with "deficit schizophrenia" were born in June and July than in any other months.

Dr Messias said this could be due to exposure to sunlight, vitamin D or infectious agents carried by the mother.