Over the last few years, we've seen that the increasing number and severity of heat waves is bad for human health. Many people have died from the heat or from existing health conditions that were aggravated by extreme temperatures. Now, research points to another way that heat impacts humanity: It may lead to an increased risk of suicide.
What's happening?
The University of New South Wales Sydney reported that there is new research linking extreme temperatures to suicidal thoughts and behavior in Australian youth. In fact, as temperatures rise, so does the number of young people arriving at emergency rooms for these symptoms.
To arrive at this conclusion, researchers examined over 55,000 suicidality presentations made at emergency departments by patients between 12 and 24 years of age from 2012 to 2019. What they found was that for every one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) that the temperature increased, emergency room visits for suicidal young people increased by 1.3%. During heatwaves, researchers recorded rates 9-15% higher than usual.
Dr. Cybele Dey, psychiatrist and conjoint lecturer at UNSW Sydney, was the lead author of the study, which was published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.
"The impact on the very first day where the temperature is hotter than usual is just as bad as each subsequent day, and the effect starts at a more moderate temperature than expected," said Dey, per UNSW Sydney. "This is not about concern about climate change affecting the mental health of young people, this is about hot weather itself affecting them."
Senior author Dr. Iain Perkes, psychiatrist and senior lecturer from UNSW's School of Clinical Medicine, agreed.
"It's quite staggering," he said, per UNSW Sydney. "The type of pattern ... would point to a cause-and-effect response."
That result is consistent with other research that has found a connection between heat and mental health effects, including both aggression and suicidality.
Why is this study important?
The world is getting hotter thanks to air pollution caused by humanity. Hot temperatures aren't limited to Australia. Weather is getting more extreme everywhere, and heat waves are increasing. That means billions of people across the globe could soon be exposed to conditions that increase suicidal feelings — or they already have been.
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Location makes a difference, as urban heat islands are often much hotter than surrounding areas. But ultimately, people in almost any environment could be affected.
What's being done about extreme heat?
Getting the Earth's temperature down is going to take a coordinated effort by people around the globe. You can start by educating yourself and your loved ones about climate issues.
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