CNN International (11/17, Rogers) reported climate change “is a potentially lethal threat” for “people with mental health problems such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or anxiety.” In June 2021, “during a record-breaking heat wave in British Columbia…8% of people who died from the extreme heat had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to a March study. That made the disorder a more dangerous risk factor than all other conditions the authors studied, including kidney disease and coronary artery disease.” American Psychiatric Association Representative to the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health Robert Feder, MD, said, “Until climate change gets under control, things are only going to get worse unfortunately. … As the temperature keeps increasing, these effects are going to be magnified. There’s going to be more storms, more fires, and people are going to be more worried about what could happen because a lot more things are happening.”
Related Links:
— “As Earth’s temperature rises, so do deaths among people with mental health problems,”Kristen Rogers, CNN, November 17, 2023