Association Between Extreme Heat and Outpatient Visits for Mental Disorders: A Time-Series Analysis in Guangzhou, China.

Previous evidence on heatwaves' impact on mental health outpatient visits is limited, especially uncertainty on how different heatwave definitions affect this relationship. In this time-series study, we assessed the association between heatwaves and outpatient visits for mental disorders in Guangzhou, China. Daily outpatient visits for mental disorders and its specific categories (schizophrenia, mood, and neurotic disorders) were sourced from the Urban Resident-based Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) and the Urban Employee-based Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) claims databases in Guangzhou from 2010 to 2014.