For example, on summers hottest days we are advised to be on the lookout for heatstroke warning signs.
The study was published inJAMA Psychiatryin late February.
After analyzing the data, they found that extreme heatwaves marked significant increases in mental health-related emergency room visits.
Nataliia Nesterenko / Getty Images
Its so consistent across all of these different disorders that arent necessarily related.
What Is It About Heat?
The researchers note that stress of any kind can exacerbate mental health problems; heat is just one kind.
Exactly how heat affects peoples mental health isnt known, Vergunst said, but there are several possible explanations.
For example, the heat might increase overall stress by making the body more uncomfortable or disrupting sleep.
Nori-Sarma added that extreme heat might also trigger anxieties about climate change.
The numbers found in the study are likely higher, too.
The scale of this sub-clinical distress is unknown and also needs to be investigated.
Natural disasterslike floodinghave put peoples lives at risk.
Nori-Sarma spoke with traffic police in India who stand in the middle of intersections, eight hours a day.
They know that they cough more frequently, she said.
These effects are already being observed and their frequency will increase as climate change advances, he added.
What This Means For You
Climate change implicates everyone from the individual to big industry.
Diagnosing anxieties related to environmental issues can be helpful.
Shouldnt efforts instead be put toward slowing the impact of climate change?
Vergunst said the two arent mutually exclusive.
So, individuals, industry, and government need to be thinking short and long-term.
Some of the short-term needs, Vergunst said, include:
People need accurate information, Vergunst said.
Otherwise, they wont take on the responsibility required for action.
Evidence even suggests that placing emphasis on individual actions actuallydecreaseswillingness to make environmentally-conscious changes.
Heres where the long-term thinking comes in.
I think its going to be tough, he said.
The fact that we know what to do, though, is reason for optimism.
We just need to do it.
2020;12(4):827-835. doi:10.1175/WCAS-D-19-0141.1
