We all know we’re in a heat wave right now. And if you’re experiencing extra anxiety, you’re not alone.
Sally Hernandez points out this fascinating study from JAMA Psychiatry that found a significant association between ambient heat and risk of Emergency Department visits for mental health.
In other words, unusually hot periods seems to, for whatever reason, drive more people to the ER for mental health treatment.
The increased visits were particularly pronounced among those struggling with anxiety, stress-related disorders, somatoform disorders, mood disorders, self-harm, and other disorders.
Now you might have my same question when I read this study.
“Were those visits from people with anxiety disorders for heat stroke or other health risks from exposure to extreme heat?”
No, those visits were specifically related to mental health.
So, for example, someone with anxiety felt so edgy, so worried, so unnerved that they visited the emergency department, and after a battery of tests, nothing unusual came up and they were sent home with a diagnosis of anxiety or agitation.
As Dr. Chris Hansen explains to Sally Hernandez: “People with anxiety are very susceptible to physical symptoms, so any change in their physical symptoms, if they feel overheated for example, that will very likely kick off increased anxiety.”
I know the feeling.
I developed an anxiety disorder in my late 30’s, and suddenly found myself much more sensitive to the heat — which I had previously loved.
My hunch is that it was hyper-vigilance to physical symptoms, in general, and once you think something is awry, it’s possible you’ll start to hyperventilate and then flight-or-fight will kick in and, as anyone with anxiety knows, you’re on the spiral.
So if you’re feeling this way right now — you’re not alone. This is a global phenomenon.
Kind of.
The other fascinating finding is that this effect was most pronounced in places that normally don’t deal with intense heat.
In other words, most European countries, as well as generally colder regions of the United States.
Right now, it’s July in Florida and honestly, the difference in “normal heat” vs. “a heat wave” is “it feels like death out here” vs. “it feels like slightly more death out here” even when there’s a pronounced spike in heat.
But if you live in another part of the country, pronounced spikes are more likely to exacerbate your mental health symptoms.
Beyond what I’ve already mentioned, the JAMA study has this to say about why heatwaves might exacerbate mental health problems.
Exogenous stressors are well known to exacerbate existing mental health conditions. Our finding that heat was associated with a similar increase in the rate of ED visits for a variety of different mental health conditions is consistent with the hypothesis that heat is an external stressor that is not specific to any given mental health condition. One etiological mechanism may be disrupted sleep during periods of high ambient temperature, which may be associated with adverse mental health outcomes.39 Daytime discomfort or irritation owing to elevated temperature may be a stressor that exacerbates preexisting conditions. Another biological pathway may be the increase in hopelessness, maladaptive anxiety, and stress attributable to the anticipation of climate change and associated extreme events.40–43 In addition, on warmer days, patients may visit the ED to seek relief from high temperatures. Heat could also affect opening hours of other health care facilities, which could be associated with an increase in ED visits. These and other social and health care system factors might explain elevated ED visits on days of extreme temperature.
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[Painting: Noon – Rest from Work (after Millet), Van Gogh]
