Mental health hospital admissions among children and young people increase during periods of high temperatures, a new study has found. As global temperatures have been rising at an accelerating pace, their impact on health is expected to intensify correspondingly, authors warned.
Extreme heat raises the risk of several mental health conditions, from substance use and depression to anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and behavioural disorders, according to the study by the University of Sydney in Australia.
"Hotter-than-normal weather, which is becoming more frequent because of climate change, is already affecting the mental health of some of our most vulnerable young people," said lead author Wen-Qiang He.
One in seven 10-19-year-olds worldwide experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group, according to the World Health Organization.
A burden projected to worsen due to climate change, Wen-Qiang He warned, adding that mental health is an increasingly important consideration in climate adaptation and public health planning.
