Depressed Women on SSRIs Handle Heat Better

Media stories, social media posts and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have asserted that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - a class of medication commonly used to treat mental health conditions including depression and anxiety - may increase people's vulnerability to heat, leading to concerns that people who take SSRIs are at increased risk for heat-related illnesses in hot weather. A new study by researchers in the Penn State Department of Kinesiology, however, demonstrated that women with clinical depression who take an SSRI may be better able to withstand extreme heat compared to those who do not treat their depression with medication.