Scientists unexpectedly determined why people literally started going crazy

Global warming intensifies mental disorders, and this is just the beginning.

A new study published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Climate Change warns: global warming affects not only the environment and economy but also people's mental health. Scientists are increasingly convinced that heat causes not just physical discomfort but literally destroys the psyche.

A group of researchers from the University of Adelaide analyzed how extremely high temperatures affect the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders. The results were alarming: already now, thousands of people annually face exacerbation of anxiety, depression, bipolar affective disorder, and even schizophrenia due to heat. Young people aged fifteen to forty-four are especially vulnerable to temperature stress.

According to scientists' estimates, in Australia alone, heat annually leads to the loss of more than eight thousand four hundred and fifty years of healthy life (in terms of DALY - disability-adjusted life years). This represents approximately one and eight-tenths percent of the total burden of mental illness in the country. Moreover, with the continuing rise in average annual temperatures and increasing duration of heat waves, this indicator could increase by fifty percent by two thousand and fifty.

Separate studies have already shown: climate change poses a direct threat to human life. In Europe, according to the most optimistic forecasts, by the end of the century, about eight thousand people will die annually from the effects of high temperatures. In more unfavorable scenarios, this figure could increase to eighty thousand deaths per year - exclusively due to heat.

Rising air temperature is not just an inconvenience but a serious risk factor affecting cognitive abilities, emotional stability, and general human behavior. People who already have mental disorders are especially susceptible to negative changes, as well as those who live in cities and do not have access to cool and green areas.

Psychiatrists and specialists in the field of climatology are unanimous: adapting urban infrastructure and healthcare systems to new climatic realities is a task of paramount importance, on which depends not only the quality but also the longevity of millions of people.