Heatwaves got a grip on parts of Europe during the month of June

 

Dear Bloggers,

As the Earth warms, heatwaves are expected to occur more often, with sharper intensity and for longer periods. Rising temperatures adversely affect worker productivity and human health, but for policymakers to take substantive action for heat adaptation, making an economic case is key.

 

The Netherlands was suffering from its first summer heatwave with the national weather service was declaring a red alert on Monday for large parts of the provinces of Zeeland, Noord Brabant and Limburg in the south of the country.

 

The area reached 33 degrees Celsius in the shade in the late afternoon. In some places the temperature was approaching 35 degrees by midday.

Other regions in our country also felt the heat, with my hometown Sneek cooling down to 22 or 23 degrees at night.

Few people were seen on the streets, while many tried to cool off with fans, umbrellas or water bottles in the strong sunshine, with more than 30 degrees in the shade.

The daily maximum temperature of 37 degrees, as announced by the weather forecasts, was to be reached between 3 pm and 6 pm central European time in the city of Amsterdam.

 

"You can really only go out these days after dark, from 10 pm onwards. And even then you're still sweating," the bars and nightclub owner told me.

"I'm only outside because the fridge is empty and I mainly need beer." A random neighbor told me. But in the supermarket, he said, it was "nice and cool."

Temperatures are expected to drop slightly from Thursday after peaking on Monday, but the heatwave will not noticeably subside until next Thursday.

Meanwhile, the maximum temperatures of 32 or 33 degrees will drop after a bit of rain and thunder. People with mental health issues are facing a lot of challenges when it comes to hot weather. I have trouble dealing with the heat and as diabetic it is not easy to keep hydrated and keep the levels regular. For persons with mental health issues it is not easy as well as they sometimes don’t realize the power of the heat and they forget to cool themselves down.

The reasons why mental health patients are more vulnerable during periods of extreme heat are only just beginning to be explored. During heat waves, night-time temperatures are also elevated, leading to poor sleep which might contribute to mental stress.

Those that are taking medication to treat their illnesses are even more vulnerable to extreme heat. Lithium, used to treat bipolar disorder, can become toxic when patients are dehydrated. Tricyclic antidepressants can cause excess perspiration, leading to dangerous levels of dehydration. And clozapine, a powerful antipsychotic used to control schizophrenia, is anticholinergic, meaning that among other effects it reduces or stops sweating, the body’s most important defense against overheating. “This population is the most impaired, but then they’re taking the most high-risk medication that can further worsen their condition and their ability to thermoregulate.

That doesn’t mean patients should stop taking the drugs during heat waves, says our psychiatrist: “These are absolutely necessary, lifesaving medications that improve quality of life among people with disorders.”

That means alerting the entire gamut of social services to risk of heat waves on clients suffering from mental health disorders. “Knowing that there are going to be periodic heat waves, [psychiatrists and psychologists] have to actively engage with our patients by educating them about behavioral ways they can protect themselves,” through adequate hydration, appropriate clothing, and suitable shelter. For the most vulnerable—those with severe mental illness—“we need to engage local organizations and people who are from the community who have established relationships ahead of time to be able to go in and find Mr. Jones (fictive name), who we know is vulnerable because of mental illness.”

Now that heat wave season is upon us, I would suggest that care takers should be setting up a climate-focused group therapy. “It gives patients an opportunity to talk about this issue openly so that they’re more aware and know what to do. And if they feel more irritable or psychotic, they can think for themselves, ‘Oh, maybe the climate is affecting my health.’” 

Climate change is a health threat. But unlike floods, heat waves are predictable, which means deaths from heat waves should not be.

Stay cool and relax during the heat.

The Old Sailor,