Ambient temperature and mental health hospitalizations in Bern, Switzerland: A 45-year time-series study

Abstract

Background Psychiatric disorders constitute a major public health concern that are associated with substantial health and socioeconomic burden. Psychiatric patients may be more vulnerable to high temperatures, which under current climate change projections will most likely increase the burden of this public health concern. Objective This study investigated the short-term association between ambient temperature and mental health hospitalizations in Bern, Switzerland. Methods Daily hospitalizations for mental disorders between 1973 and 2017 were collected from the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Bern. Population-weighted daily mean ambient temperatures were derived for the catchment area of the hospital from 2.3-km gridded weather maps. Conditional quasi-Poisson regression with distributed lag linear models were applied to assess the association up to three days after the exposure. Stratified analyses were conducted by age, sex, and subdiagnosis, and by subperiods (1973–1989 and 1990–2017). Additional subanalyses were performed to assess whether larger risks were found during the warm season or were due to heatwaves. Results The study included a total number of 88,996 hospitalizations. Overall, the hospitalization risk increased linearly by 4.0% (95% CI 2.0%, 7.0%) for every 10°C increase in mean daily temperature. No evidence of a nonlinear association or larger risks during the warm season or heatwaves was found. Similar estimates were found across for all sex and age categories, and larger risks were found for hospitalizations related to developmental disorders (29.0%; 95% CI 9.0%, 54.0%), schizophrenia (10.0%; 95% CI 4.0%, 15.0%), and for the later rather than the earlier period (5.0%; 95% CI 2.0%, 8.0% vs. 2.0%; 95% CI -3.0%, 8.0%). Conclusions Our findings suggest that increasing temperatures could negatively affect mental status in psychiatric patients. Specific public health policies are urgently needed to protect this vulnerable population from the effects of climate change.

The Impact of Foehn Wind on Mental Distress among Patients in a Swiss Psychiatric Hospital

“…Finally, with obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety, and paranoid ideation, further psychopathological entities were connected to foehn's winds. Of note is paranoid ideation, since patients with psychotic symptoms appear to be particularly vulnerable to the influence of environmental factors [17], and so often need hospitalization in situations with symptom exacerbation.…”

Exposure to Abnormally Hot Temperature and the Demand for Commercial Health Insurance

“…Studies find that temperature affects the prevalence of depression and sadness: the prevalence of depression is highest in summer and autumn ( 48 ). Psychiatric patients may be more vulnerable to high temperatures ( 23 ), which under current climate change projections will most likely increase the concerns of people in poor mental states. Bundo et al ( 23 ) find that increasing temperatures could negatively affect mental status in psychiatric patients using a 45-year time-series study.…”

“…Psychiatric patients may be more vulnerable to high temperatures ( 23 ), which under current climate change projections will most likely increase the concerns of people in poor mental states. Bundo et al ( 23 ) find that increasing temperatures could negatively affect mental status in psychiatric patients using a 45-year time-series study. Thus, compared with normal people, patients with depression are more likely to do something to protect themselves from climate risks.…”

“…Climate risk directly affects crops, thus a large number of insurance related literature focus on whether crop insurance ( 15 ) or weather index insurance ( 16 ) can minimize farmers' financial losses in the event of extreme climate risk. However, there is no literature on the relationship between climate risk and residents' commercial health insurance in the field of economics, even though many medical studies have found that abnormal temperature does affect residents' physical ( 17 – 22 ) and mental health ( 23 ). Our results show that people can feel the abnormal temperature and worry about the impact of abnormal temperature on their own health.…”

The Impact of Foehn Wind on Mental Distress among Patients in a Swiss Psychiatric Hospital

“…In Switzerland, Bundo and colleagues [ 17 ] showed that the hospitalization risk for mental disorders increased linearly by 4.0% for every 10 °C increase in mean daily temperature in a 45-year study period. Higher risks have been identified in patients with developmental disorders and schizophrenia.…”