Rain hits residents' spirits in Shanghai

SHANGHAI: The number of people suffering depression has risen in the city during the recent record-breaking spell of wet weather, psychologists said this week.

Rain clouds have been showering Shanghai for the past 20 days, smashing a 136-year record for the longest continuous downpour. But it also seems to have dampened residents' spirits, too.

Since mid-February, the psychological department at Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital has had between 70 and 80 patients a day - around 10 percent more than usual - while other local mental health centers have seen an increase of about 20 percent, reported the Shanghai Youth Daily, adding that many were young or middle-aged office workers or had a history of depression.