Study reveals that people with mental health issues are at increased risk of death in heat waves

A heatwave can have severe physical and mental effects on a person’s health, including death. Epidemiologists from the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) conducted a study on the effects of the Western heat dome event that hit parts of Canada and the Pacific Northwest in June 2021. They discovered that those with a history of schizophrenia were three times more likely to die during the heatwave than people who did not have the condition.

Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by significant changes in behavior and the way a person perceives reality, including persistent delusions and hallucinations, among other things. The study’s lead author, BCCDC epidemiologist Michael Lee, stressed the need for climate-aware care for this group of people.

The study, published on March 15 in the journal GeoHealth, demonstrated the need to raise awareness of the increased risk of heat-related death for individuals with mental health concerns, particularly as climate change makes heat events more common and severe.

The results of the study surprised Sarah B. Henderson, who oversaw the research at BCCDC. She said that while they knew schizophrenia was a risk factor, the magnitude of the risk they observed during the heatwave was “head and shoulders above those other risk factors.” Henderson’s comments were quoted in a TIME magazine report.

Heatwave isn’t a pleasant thing, and it poses health risks and even death, regardless of whether you enjoy summer or not. Although the physical effects of weather phenomena are widely known, the link between external factors and mental health may be less known.