Effects of Climate Change on Mental Health

Context

A study highlights the effect of  Climate Change in aggravating the  existing mental health conditions of the people.

Effects of Climate Change on Mental Health, the Study

A study was conducted to analyze the effect of the extreme heat event in the Canadian province of British Columbia in 2021 on people with 26 medical conditions, including heart disease, schizophrenia, chronic kidney disease, dementia, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and osteoporosis. The region recorded around 740 excess deaths during this 8 day extreme heat event.

• Published In: In the journal GeoHealth in 2023.
• Finding: 
  • People with mental health conditions are at a greater risk of succumbing to heat-related deaths with greater stakes for people diagnosed with schizophrenia, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
  • Of the 280 heat related deaths, 37 people had schizophrenia.
• Reason:
  • Malfunctioning Hypothalamus: Certain antipsychotic medications prescribed to people with schizophrenia do interfere with the hypothalamus’s workings with one of the side-effects is to raise the body’s temperature, which when coupled with anomalously high ambient temperatures can rapidly prove fatal
  • Other Risk Factors:  Marginalisation, lower economic status, and a propensity for loneliness are risk factors for people with schizophrenia, which can heighten the vulnerability to  heat-related illnesses
  • Aggravate existing condition: Schizophrenic patients often have psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thinking, and memory loss and anosognosia (a condition in which they’re unable to sense that they’re ill)
• Measures Taken:
  • Regular counselling: Schizophrenic patients can face  social isolation, which can be tackled with interventions like counselling and checking in on them regularly.
  • Role of Families  and caregivers: They  need to be more aware of the increased risk, identify potential risk factors and take prompt action to help their loved one during a heat wave.
  • Recognize heat symptoms: To educate  ourselves to recognise symptoms of heat-related illness and take emergency cooling measures will help ensure everyone’s safety during heat waves

Enroll now for UPSC Online Course

DOWNLOAD PDF