Extreme heat increases anxiety and depression

A study led by the Research Institute in Jordi Gol Primary Care (idiapjgol) He has shown that during extreme heat periods increase anxiety and depression diagnoses in primary care, as well as medical prescriptions and Labor casualties due to these disorders.

The work, published in the magazine Environment International, It states that the increase in ambient temperature could be responsible for 1 out of 4 anxiety diagnoses and 1 in 6 of depression, informs the idiapjgol in a statement on Tuesday.

Research has analyzed data from More than 3 million adultss attended in Primary Centers of Catalonia, between 2011 and 2022, and takes into account differences by sex, age, nationality and socioeconomic situation.

Specifically, The temperature increase It could be responsible for 25% of the new anxiety diagnoses, 15% of anxiolytic prescriptions and 31% of labor casualties due to this condition.

It would also be from 17% Of the new cases of depression, the 9% of the indications of antidepressants and 25% of casualties for this diagnosis.

More cases in extreme heat

The work indicates that at the high temperature times, compared to the temperature of 1 grade CentLed, 43% increases in diagnoses are recorded of anxiety, 26% in depression and up to 65% more work casualties for anxiety.

In addition, anxiolytic medication recipes grow near a 20% In these extreme heat periods.

The cases analyzed are included in the database of the Information System for the Development of Primary Research (SIDIAP)which collects the clinical information corresponding to 75% of the people served in the primary care of Catalonia.