[Heat and Mental Health: Discrepancy Between Expert Opinion and Documented Primary Care Diagnostics - Findings from...

To explore whether heat-related increases in mental morbidity, as suggested in the literature, are also reflected in routine data from general and pediatric practices in Germany.We analyzed pseudonymized data from 440 general and 120 pediatric practic-es. Hot years (2015, 2018, 2019, 2022) were compared with cooler years (2016, 2017, 2023, 2024). Four diagnostic groups were assessed: heat-related illnesses (somatic), depression, anxiety, and stress/adaptation disorders. Group differences were tested with the Wilcoxon test.Heat-related illnesses were more frequent in hot years (GPs:+0.3 cas-es/practice/year; p<0.001). Mental health diagnoses were less frequent, e. g. depression (-13.8; p=0.001). This pattern was consistent in adults.Heat-related psychological distress may be underdocumented in primary care. Further studies with finer temporal resolution and adjustment are needed.