Health care researchers are warning of the effects of high temperatures on mental health, amid a series of heat waves in Europe, the UK and North America.
The World Economic Forum published a report on high temperatures and mental health on July 14, citing more than 10 studies from countries around the world. The report highlighted how extreme heat and humidity are linked to elevated symptoms in people with depression, generalized anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder, according to a studio 2020 outside the UK.
The report cited other investigations outside the UK that also linked extreme heat and humidity to higher rates of suicide, as well as a study outside Australia which found that for every one-degree increase in the average monthly temperature, mental health-related deaths increase by 2.2 percent.
Heat and humidity have even been linked to an increase in manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder, reports the World Economic Forum, citing a study 2021 published in the European Journal of Psychiatry.
In Canada, mental health workers have seen firsthand how heat waves and climate change affect people, particularly the most vulnerable populations.
Stacy Ashton is executive director of the BC Crisis Centre. She worked during last year’s heat wave that killed more than 600 people in British Columbia between June 25 and July 1. Ashton recalls that it was a busy time for her organization, which operates helplines for people experiencing mental anguish and suicidal thoughts.
“We saw more calls coming in … and some of the health authorities had phone calls that they wanted us to make to isolated people that they were concerned about,” Ashton said. “I was very busy”.
Ashton said the BC Crisis Center sees a spike in calls whenever a heat wave sets in, explaining that people with anxiety disorders can skyrocket once they’re triggered by extreme weather events.
“We’re definitely seeing more calls about anxiety related to climate change and that’s because things like generalized anxiety disorder and other anxiety conditions will connect to anything that seems like a reason to be anxious, and then it goes into a vicious circle,” Ashton said. .
THE CONNECTION TO HEAT
The mechanisms by which heat worsens stress and anxiety they are complexbut A study by researchers in Poland in 2018 concluded that higher temperatures increase the level of the stress hormone cortisol in our blood, while another study published in the US National Library of Medicine in 2006 found that our bodies produce more adrenaline when subjected to heat stress.
“There is consistent evidence from around the world showing that weather extremes are linked to a whole range of increased mental health challenges,” Sean Kidd, a clinical psychologist at the Centers for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) told CTVNews. ca on tuesday.
“Another thing worth mentioning is the impact of heat on people’s cognitive functioning, as well as emotional distress and dysregulation. People can become fatigued. People can have difficulty thinking clearly.”
Kidd is a Senior Scientist and Head of Psychology at CAMH, whose primary research focuses on the effects of climate change on impoverished populations. He said isolated older people, people in poverty who may not have access to air conditioning, and pregnant women whose body temperatures are already elevated are especially susceptible to the effects of extreme heat.
Katie Hayes, senior policy analyst at Health Canada, added that high temperatures also put people on mood-stabilizing medications at risk.
“For people who have been diagnosed with some mental illnesses, the medications they take, like some psychotropic medications, can affect people’s ability to regulate their body temperature,” Hayes said in an interview with CTV News.ca on Tuesday. “Medications people take to treat mental illnesses can also be affected by heat.”
Hayes studies the effects of climate change on mental health through her role in the Office of Innovation and Climate Change in Health Canada’s Safe Environment Directorate.
She is co-author of the Health Canada 2022 report, “The Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate”, which looked at the range of negative health effects Canadians face from climate change, as well as ways that people and governments can mitigate those effects.
Hayes said that while there is no universal solution, people can reduce the effects of heat-induced fear and anxiety by seeking mental health supports, connecting with their neighbors and communities, and engaging in climate activism, if they can.
Governments must develop comprehensive climate change adaptation plans that include strategies to protect the most vulnerable populations, Hayes said. She pointed to Canada’s next project National Adaptation Strategy as an example.
“The federal government is currently working on the first National Adaptation Strategy that has a health and wellness component that will include strategies that look at climate change and mental health.”
Once completed later in 2022, the strategy will outline how Canada can become more resilient and prepare for the impacts of climate change across multiple sectors and systems.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (or 988 starting July 16, 2022) or Canada’s Talk Suicide at 1-833-456-4566. The following resources are also available to support people in crisis:
- Hope for Wellness Helpline (English, French, Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut): 1-855-242-3310
- Embrace Life Council Hotline: 1-800-265-3333
- Trans Lifeline: 1-877-330-6366
- Children’s Helpline: 1-800-668-6868