title: Do stock prices drive people crazy?
abstract: This is the first research to examine a potential relation between stock market volatility and mental disorders. Using data on daily incidences of mental disorders in Taiwan over 4000 days from 1998 through 2009 to assess the time-series relation between stock price movements and mental disorders, we observe that stock price fluctuation clearly affects the hospitalization of mental disorders. We find that during a 12-year follow-up period, a low stock price index, a daily fall in the stock price index and consecutive daily falls in the stock price index are all associated with greater of mental disorders hospitalizations. A 1000-point fall in the TAIEX (Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index) increases the number of daily mental disorders hospitalizations by 4.71%. A 1% fall in the TAIEX in one single day increases daily hospitalizations for mental disorders by 0.36%. When the stock price index falls one consecutive day, it causes a daily increase of approximately 0.32% hospitalizations due to mental disorders on that day. Stock price index is found to be significant for both gender and all age groups. In addition, daily change is significant for both gender and middle-age groups, whereas accumulated change is significant for males and people aged 45-64. Stockholdings can help people accumulate wealth, but they can also increase mental disorders hospitalizations. In other words, stock price fluctuations do drive people crazy.
authors: Department of Economics, National Dong Hwa University, 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Rd, Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan Department of Economics, National Taipei University, 151, University Rd, San Shia, New Taipei City 23741, Taiwan Department of Public Finance, National Taipei University, 151, University Rd, San Shia, New Taipei City 23741, Taiwan.
authors: Chung-Liang
authors: CL
authors: Lin
authors: Department of Economics, National Dong Hwa University, 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Rd, Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan Department of Economics, National Taipei University, 151, University Rd, San Shia, New Taipei City 23741, Taiwan Department of Public Finance, National Taipei University, 151, University Rd, San Shia, New Taipei City 23741, Taiwan stan@mail.ntpu.edu.tw.
authors: Chin-Shyan
authors: CS
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Economics, National Dong Hwa University, 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Rd, Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan Department of Economics, National Taipei University, 151, University Rd, San Shia, New Taipei City 23741, Taiwan Department of Public Finance, National Taipei University, 151, University Rd, San Shia, New Taipei City 23741, Taiwan.
authors: Tsai-Ching
authors: TC
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004467:Economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Stock prices; Taiwan; mental disorders