Heat and mental health

Climate change is increasing the risk of exposure to extreme heat. The potential harms from such exposure are not distributed evenly through the population but are concentrated in groups such as the elderly, children and those with severe mental illness (SMI). General practitioners (GPs) are on the frontline of managing vulnerable people with SMI.

The aim of this article is to discuss the problem that extreme heat poses for mental health and to provide examples of how these problems can be anticipated and mitigated.

Awareness of the challenge of climate change is high. GPs are in an excellent position to identify those at increased risk of poor health outcomes secondary to extreme heat or drought and to prevent or mitigate these outcomes. These responses need to be placed within a broader model of care for best effect.