People with schizophrenia were especially at risk during 2021 heat dome, BCCDC finds

New research from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control suggests people with schizophrenia were particularly susceptible to the deadly heat dome that struck the province in June 2021.

New research from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control suggests people with schizophrenia were particularly susceptible to the deadly heat dome that struck the province in June 2021.

The study, which was published last week in the journal GeoHealth, compared deaths that occurred in B.C. during the heat dome with deaths that occurred on the same dates in previous years. It found roughly three times as many people with schizophrenia died during the heat dome as would have been expected during a "normal" weather pattern. 

In a news release announcing the findings, the BCCDC posited several factors that may help explain why schizophrenia, in particular, was such a risk factor.

Mental illnesses, generally, were among the conditions that left people most susceptible to death during the heat dome, the centre said, adding that schizophrenia's psychotic symptoms – such as hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders and cognitive losses – likely play a role in the increased risk for people with the condition.

"Many people living with schizophrenia also suffer from anosognosia or lack of insight into their own illness," the BCCDC said in its release.

"Schizophrenia may also lead to social isolation and lower socioeconomic status, and both are risk factors for death during extreme hot weather. In addition, some medications used to treat schizophrenia can play a role in overheating."

The researchers said their findings suggest people with schizophrenia, their families and support networks should take extra precautions during extreme heat events.