Extreme high temperatures in warmer months double the risk of young people being admitted to hospital for a mental health condition, according to research. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The University of Sydney study analyzed 720,000 hospital admissions of young people aged up to 24 in New South Wales between 2001 and 2022. The findings suggest the climate crisis will aggravate the already declining mental health of young people.
As extreme temperatures occur more often due to global heating, heat-related hospital admissions would increase between 6% and 7.7% by the end of the century, the research said.
Lead author Dr Wen-Qiang He from the University of Sydney said: "We found that as temperatures increase, we see admissions for these younger populations increase significantly. The risk doubles in the warm season and triples in the cold season."
The research, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, covered mental health disorders including schizophrenia, depression, substance misuse, eating disorders and self-harm.
Researchers found when daily average temperatures were in the highest 1% for that day, the risk of hospital admission was doubled in warmer months from October to March and tripled during the cooler months.
Dr Cybele Dey, an adolescent psychiatrist in Sydney and co-author, said: "These are not mild presentations. There has to be a lot going wrong for a person to be admitted. Climate change is already impacting children and young people's mental health in multiple ways."
Dr Hasini Gunasiri, a research fellow at Orygen in Melbourne, noted: "Sleep disruption may be especially relevant here. Poor sleep is a well-established risk factor for suicidal ideation and self-harm in young people."
Gunasiri added that current heat-health policies tend to focus on physical health outcomes, but mental health should also be considered when planning for extreme temperatures.