Newser – There’s plenty of reason to think hot weather takes a psychological toll as well as a physical one.
Researchers have found suicides increase when it’s hot, as does violent crime, trips to the emergency room, hospitalizations for mental problems, and deaths overall, the New York Times reports.
But the reasons aren’t always clear, and one expert said the effects have only been widely acknowledged for five years or so. As prolonged heat waves become more common, research into the links becomes more important.
“Our understanding of the basic biology of why this association exists is still in its infancy,” said Dr. Joshua Wortzel, who chairs the American Psychiatric Association’s committee on the subject.
The risk isn’t evenly distributed. People who suffer from schizophrenia, dementia, psychosis, or substance use face increased danger—often a 5% higher risk of death for every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit rise in temperature, one study estimated.
Those who take drugs to deal with mental issues have to be especially careful when temperatures are high, said Dr. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer at National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“Some antipsychotic medications reduce the ability to control temperature,” he said, per CNET …
