The study suggested that exposure to high temperatures increased the probability of being hospitalised due to mental health deterioration. - Photo: AFP file
SEOUL: Amid the prolonged summer in South Korea, research revealed on Wednesday (Sept 18) shows that rising temperatures can cause not just heat-related illnesses but also increase the risk of obtaining mental illnesses such as depression.
According to joint research conducted by the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul National University and Pusan National University with 219,187 respondents of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Community Health Survey, for every increase in average annual temperatures by 1 degrees Celsius, the respondents were 13 per cent more likely to report having depressive symptoms.
