Extreme heat takes toll on young minds, doubles hospitalisations: Study

Extreme heat is not only threatening physical health but is also taking an increasingly severe toll on the mental well-being of children and young adults, with a major Australian study warning that soaring temperatures significantly increase the risk of hospital admissions for serious mental health conditions.

The large-scale study, led by the University of Sydney, found that periods of extreme heat are associated with a sharp rise in severe psychiatric cases requiring hospitalisation, reinforcing concerns that climate change is emerging as a major mental health challenge for younger generations.

"Climate change is already impacting children and young people's mental health in multiple ways," said Cybele Dey, an adolescent psychiatrist with the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network and co-author of the study, as quoted by The Guardian Australia on Tuesday.

The researchers analysed more than 720,000 hospital admissions involving people aged 24 years and below in the Australian state of New South Wales between 2001 and 2022. Their findings revealed a striking pattern: when temperatures climbed into the hottest one per cent ever recorded, the risk of mental health-related hospital admissions doubled during the warmer months and tripled during the cooler months.

Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the study also projects that heat-related mental health hospitalisations could increase by 6 to 7.7 per cent by the end of the century if global temperatures continue to rise, Xinhua news agency reported.

The research focused exclusively on the most severe mental health conditions requiring hospital admission, including depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, substance misuse and self-harm. It did not include patients treated in emergency departments or outpatient clinics, suggesting the broader mental health impact of extreme heat could be even greater.

Researchers believe the rapid surge in psychiatric admissions following heat spikes points to a direct physiological response to high temperatures. Potential triggers include sleep disruption, heightened stress, altered brain function, increased impulsivity and greater alcohol or substance use, all of which can aggravate underlying mental health conditions.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that climate change poses risks far beyond heatstroke and dehydration, highlighting its profound impact on psychological well-being. The researchers stressed that mental health must become a central component of heatwave preparedness, urging policymakers and public health authorities to incorporate psychological risks into future heat-health action plans.

As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, experts say protecting young people from the invisible mental health consequences of rising temperatures will be as critical as safeguarding them from the physical dangers of heat.

With IANS inputs