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Humid heat increases mental health risks in a warming world

Residents of low-latitude megacities face rising humid-heat vulnerability as climate warms. We reveal that humid heat — especially at night — worsens the current morbidity burden of mental and behavioral disorders (MBDs) in Shanghai more than high temperatures alone. We project that high greenhouse gas emissions will sharply increase the morbidity burden of MBDs by the 2090s, stressing the need for mitigation.

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Fig. 1: Current and future morbidity burden of MBDs associated with temperature versus humid heat.

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This is a summary of: Liang, C. et al. Projecting the morbidity burden of mental and behavioral disorders associated with increasing humid heat in Shanghai. Nat. Mental Health https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00519-y (2025).

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Humid heat increases mental health risks in a warming world. Nat. Mental Health 3, 1468–1469 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00548-7

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