Short-term air pollution exposure and exacerbation of psychosis: A case-crossover study in the capital city of South Korea

Abstract There is a growing concern that air pollution exacerbates mental disorders. However, studies assessing the relationship between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and acute exacerbation of psychotic symptoms in psychiatric disorders are limited. This study aims to examine the association between short-term air pollution exposure and acute exacerbation of psychosis in diverse psychiatric disorders. We analyzed 15,917 patients with psychosis (schizophrenia and related disorders and mood disorders with psychotic features) who visited Emergency Departments (EDs) in Seoul, South Korea, between 2008 and 2016. We estimated short-term exposures to particles