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Presenter: Extreme heat can harm mental health and heighten crises
Summary
A presenter warned that rising temperatures can worsen behavioral health conditions, increase psychiatric emergencies and suicides, and intensify climate-related grief; residents were urged to check on one another and seek help via 988.
A presenter addressing New Jersey residents said climate change and warming “has the potential to affect every aspect of our lives, including our minds,” and urged communities to look out for each other during extreme heat events.
The presenter warned that extreme heat can exacerbate preexisting behavioral health conditions and lead to more psychiatric emergencies. “Extreme heat can make preexisting behavioral health conditions worse, and more people experience psychiatric emergencies during extreme heat events,” the presenter said, citing links to increased aggression and suicide deaths. The talk emphasized climate-related grief and eco-anxiety as growing concerns for many people.
