Extreme heat poses threat to mental health
Credit: nicoletaionescu
Rising temperatures across Australia could increase the burden of mental and behavioural disorders (MBD) by almost 50 per cent by 2050, according to a new study from the University of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø. The research highlights the urgent need to act now to protect mental health as the climate warms.
Published in , the study shows that high temperatures contributed to an annual loss of 8458 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), representing 1.8 per cent of total MBD burden in Australia. Young Australians aged 15 to 44 are particularly affected, with most losses linked to living with poor mental health.
"The detrimental impacts of climate change on good mental health and emotional states have been increasingly recognised worldwide, and it's only going to get worse unless we act," said lead author Professor Peng Bi, from the University’s School of Public Health.
MBDs encompass a broad spectrum of symptoms associated with distress or impairment in important functional areas, including an individual’s emotional regulation, cognition or behaviour, and include anxiety, depressive, bipolar affective, schizophrenia, alcohol, drug use an