A Critical Gap in Addressing Mental Health in Heat-Health Action Plans Worldwide.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose of review

Extreme heat is associated with mental health conditions such as suicide, anxiety, and substance use disorders. However, the integration of mental health in heat-health planning remains limited and no comprehensive assessment of its inclusion exists to date. This review aims to (1) identify and categorize mental health-related content in heat-health action plans globally; and (2) analyze the gaps in included interventions related to extreme heat and mental health.

Recent findings

A review of 83 heat-health action plans from 24 countries revealed that while 75.9% of plans mentioned mental health, only 31.3% acknowledged its specific impacts and 21.7% included targeted interventions. These plans covered approximately 2.2 billion people, representing about 26%

SUBMITTER: Stewart-Ruano A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12798820 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature