News Excerpt:

The temperature across India is increasing, with many places reporting unusually high temperatures. It may not be possible to link each heat event to climate change, but we know climate change is bringing such anomalies to more areas with greater intensity.

About the News: 

• A study published in 2023 in GeoHealth found that during an extreme heat event in British Columbia in 2021, individuals with schizophrenia were more affected than those with kidney and heart disease. 
• The study, conducted by researchers from the British Columbia Centres for Disease Control and Health Canada, revealed that people with mental health conditions, particularly schizophrenia, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, faced a higher risk of heat-related deaths.
• Climate change disproportionately affects society’s most vulnerable, including those with physical ailments, the elderly, the poor, and the socially and economically marginalized. Moreover, climate change can exacerbate existing mental health conditions.
• Climate change contributes to psychological afflictions like eco-anxiety, eco-paralysis, and solastalgia, amplifying concerns about livelihoods, future prospects, and cultural heritage worldwide. 

Key Points of the Study: 

• A dubious distinction: 
• The eight-day heat wave in 2021 saw temperatures soar to 40 degrees Celsius, compared to the usual average of 20 degrees Celsius in British Columbia. Approximately 740 excess deaths were recorded during this period. Analyzing data from 1,614 deaths in 2021 and 6,524 deaths nine years prior, the researchers examined 26 medical conditions, including heart disease, schizophrenia, chronic kidney disease, dementia, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and osteoporosis.
• While it was anticipated that individuals with kidney and heart diseases would be most vulnerable, the study revealed a surprising finding that people with schizophrenia faced the highest risk. In 2021, 8% of those surveyed had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, a significant increase from 2.7% nine years earlier when heat waves were less prevalent. However, individuals with kidney and heart diseases were also at risk, albeit to a lesser extent.
• A detailed examination of the data disclosed that out of the 280 individuals whose deaths were linked to heat, 37 had schizophrenia.

• Dysfunction of the hypothalamus: 
  • The researchers suggest that the heightened vulnerability of individuals with schizophrenia to heat stress may stem from dysfunction in the hypothalamus, a crucial structure deep within the brain responsible for maintaining bodily homeostasis. This dysfunction can disrupt temperature regulation, heart rate, hunger, thirst, mood, libido, sleep, and hormone balance.
  • Moreover, certain antipsychotic medications prescribed for schizophrenia have been observed to interfere with hypothalamic function, leading to elevated body temperature, a potentially fatal complication when combined with excessively high ambient temperatures.
  • Individuals with schizophrenia often experience psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and memory impairment. Additionally, anosognosia a condition where individuals are unaware of their illness further complicates their ability to seek assistance. Comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension further exacerbate their challenges.
  • Furthermore, marginalized socioeconomic status and a predisposition to loneliness, common among individuals with schizophrenia, increase susceptibility to heat-related illnesses, as evidenced by the 1995 Chicago heat event.

• Recommendations:

• While cautioning against discontinuing or altering antipsychotic medications, considered life-saving therapies, scientists recommend addressing schizophrenia-associated risk factors, such as social isolation, through interventions like counseling and regular check-ins.
• Experts have stressed the importance of raising awareness among families and caregivers about the heightened risk of heat-related illness for individuals with schizophrenia. Recognizing symptoms and implementing emergency cooling measures during heatwaves can help ensure everyone's safety.

Conclusion:

The GeoHealth study illustrated climate change's characteristic nonlinearity, highlighting its capacity to rapidly compound and impact various aspects of human existence, both directly and indirectly. This finding contributes to existing research that has explored its influence on a wide range of issues, including domestic violence and child trafficking.