Heat exposure associated with mental illness, Vietnamese study shows

The study, which looked at admissions data from the Hanoi Mental Hospital during a 5 year period (2008 – 2012), also found that factors including old age, gender and rural-dwelling contributed to more mental illness among vulnerable and susceptible groups during heat or extreme heat exposure.

According to the results:

• The number of admissions for mental disorders increased during hot weather such as summer season and heatwave events with mean temperature of over 35 degrees Celsius for at least 3 or 7 consecutive days.
• The risk of mental disorders among general population during heatwaves of at least 7 consecutive days was as twice as big as that during heatwaves of at least 3 consecutive days.
• There was an increase by 24 percent of cases for mental disorders in summer compared to winter.
• There was an increase by 2 percent of admissions when mean temperature went up one degree Celsius.

“I was surprised to find that there were quite strong associations between hospital admissions for depression and other mental disorders and periods of elevated temperatures or heatwaves. The associations grew stronger with the length of the heatwaves and the elderly in particular appeared more sensitive to seasonality, hot weather and heatwaves,” says Trang Phan Minh, doctoral student at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health unit, at Umeå University.

Trang Phan Minh’s study is formative and may pave a way for future studies in Vietnam. According to the researcher, the results can assist mental health professionals in Vietnam by providing more information about the mental health impacts of exposure to weather patterns and extreme heat/heatwave.

“As the global warming phenomenon emerges and mean temperatures increase, these results showing an association between heat and mental health problems could help Vietnamese policymakers and health managers. This scenario requires good preparedness and solutions for managing a potential increased in mental disorders and for protecting poor populations and poor health groups,” says Trang Phan Minh.

Trang Phan Minh is a Vietnamese PhD student at the Epidemiology and Global Health unit, Umeå University. She has previously worked for the Institute of Labor Protection in Vietnam as a physician on environmental and occupational health.

Link to doctoral thesis

About the dissertation defense:

On Friday, March 24, Phan Minh Trang, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine is publicy defending her dissertation with the title: Weather and extreme heat in association to mental disorders - The case of Hanoi, Vietnam. Faculty opponent: Associate Professor Mare Löhmus, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute. Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Maria Nilsson

The public dissertation defense is at 9:00 am in Room 135, family Medicine, Building 9A, University Hospital of Umeå (NUS).

For more information, please contact:

Trang Phan Minh, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine
Email: tranghealth@gmail.com

Editor: Daniel Harju