{"id":3655,"date":"2026-06-05T17:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T17:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.psva.org\/?p=3655"},"modified":"2026-06-09T19:37:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T19:37:05","slug":"preparing-for-warmer-weather-heat-and-its-effect-on-our-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.psva.org\/?p=3655","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for Warmer Weather: Heat and Its Effect on Our Patients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Meredith Lee, DO, DFAPA<\/strong><br><em>Associate Professor \u2013 Dept of Psychiatry<br>University of Virginia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Climate change has led to rising environmental temperatures around the planet.&nbsp; Higher temperatures have a significant impact on physical and mental health.&nbsp; With summer approaching, I want to highlight some of the effects of heat and some strategies to mitigate risk for heat-related illnesses. &nbsp; As described in the Handbook of Climate Psychiatry and Psychotherapy: A Manual for Clinicians by Dr. Elizabeth Haase, there are multiple implications of rising temperatures for Psychiatry and our patients including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Higher temperatures increase suicide, violent behavior, and violent conflict<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The neurotransmitter, receptor, and brain systems involved in thermoregulation overlap with those central to neuropsychiatry.&nbsp; Medications and substances can have an impact on serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA and glutamate which are involved in thermoregulation. Therefore, several medications and substances impact heat tolerance:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Antipsychotics and cocaine may affect thermoregulatory mechanisms such as sweating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Benzodiazepines and alcohol may impair the ability to notice and respond to heat related symptoms<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Certain substances (e.g. cocaine) or medications may raise body temperature by increasing physical activity and agitation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some medications (i.e. lithium) are affected by heat-related changes in the body; dehydration can lead to lithium toxicity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heat events can lead to a variety of heat-related illnesses from sunburn and heat edema to heatstroke and heat exhaustion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extreme heat can lead to death.&nbsp; Risk factors for heat-related morbidity and mortality include:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Overexposure to high temperatures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Being young (children) or older age (elderly)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Being obese&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Having medical conditions that increase cardiovascular or pulmonary risk&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not leaving home daily or being bedbound<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Having conditions that impair autonomic function (e.g. diabetes or Parkinson\u2019s disease)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additional risk factors:&nbsp; urban residence, poverty, low education, homelessness, substance use and abuse, having a mental illness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is important for us to educate our patients on how heat may impact their physical and mental health, and how they can reduce the risk for heat illnesses.&nbsp; Some practical tips for patients include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Acclimatization to heat can reduce risk for heat illnesses.&nbsp; The CDC has recommendations for this here:&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/niosh\/heat-stress\/recommendations\/acclimatization.html\">Acclimatization | Heat | CDC<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limit time outdoors, especially midday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Save high-exertion work for the morning and evening<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use a buddy system for emergency notification<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Install air conditioning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use fans<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ventilate laundry and stove outside<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check heart rate on wearable devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wear vests, neckbands, and hard hats with inserted frozen material if working outside<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a cooler and cooling blankets at job sites if working outside<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increase ventilation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Install shade awnings around the home&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Climate Psychiatry Alliance (CPA) has several resources on their website for patients and clinicians like the one below. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.climatepsychiatry.org\/heat-wave-resources\">Heat Wave Resources \u2014 Climate Psychiatry Alliance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"791\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/news.psva.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HeatWaveInfographic-791x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.psva.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HeatWaveInfographic-791x1024.png 791w, https:\/\/news.psva.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HeatWaveInfographic-232x300.png 232w, https:\/\/news.psva.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HeatWaveInfographic-768x994.png 768w, https:\/\/news.psva.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HeatWaveInfographic.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Meredith Lee, DO, DFAPAAssociate Professor \u2013 Dept of PsychiatryUniversity of Virginia Climate change has led to rising environmental temperatures around the planet.&nbsp; Higher temperatures have a significant impact on physical and mental health.&nbsp; With summer approaching, I want to highlight some of the effects of heat and some strategies to mitigate risk for heat-related [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[83],"class_list":["post-3655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-summer-2026"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - 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