Good news for anyone who thought the youth mental health crisis couldn't get any worse: Australia has discovered that extreme heat can make it doubly worse. A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry analyzed 720,000 hospital admissions in New South Wales over two decades and found that when temperatures are in the top 1% for a given day, the risk of a young person (aged 0 - 24) being admitted for a mental health condition doubles in warm months and triples in cooler months.

Researchers from the University of Sydney and elsewhere looked at serious cases - schizophrenia, depression, substance misuse, eating disorders, self-harm - the kind that get you a bed, not just a triage nurse. By the end of the century, they predict heat-related mental health admissions will rise 6% to 7.7% as the climate continues its slow roast. Lead author Dr Wen‑Qiang He said, “The risk doubles in the warm season and triples in the cold season,” which is a pretty stark way of saying the weather is literally messing with our heads.

The study didn't pin down exactly why heat causes mental health breakdowns, but co-author Dr Cybele Dey, an adolescent psychiatrist, noted the admissions happen almost immediately after temperature spikes, suggesting a direct “physiological” response. Other theories include disrupted sleep, increased impulsivity, and the fact that being hot and uncomfortable makes people more likely to drink or self-harm. Dr Hasini Gunasiri of Orygen pointed out that current heat-health policies focus on physical stuff like heatstroke and dehydration in the elderly, but maybe we should also warn people that a heatwave might make them want to hurt themselves. Novel concept.