In Baltimore, the heat is found to be rising and the city is currently showing a temperature of about 100°C. The heat is so much that the electricity bill is no longer a tension for the people there. The bipolar disorder patients tend to find the heat to be affecting on a large scale. The heat can interrupt the sleep and, in turn, push the patients in manic mode with fits of nonstop talking & suicidal thoughts, and irrational shopping. According to Medical Director Ken Duckworth from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the heat can be dangerous for the mental illness experiencing people.

The patients consuming anti-psychotics would find the drug disturbing their body’s temperature regulation capability and lead to either heat stroke or dehydration. The vulnerability to heat increases while consuming psychiatric medicines. Lithium, which is a drug prescribed to treat bipolar disorder is known to cause dehydration during the summers. The mental illness medications were found to ramp up the symptoms and bring out the extreme stress, anxiety, and other emotions in an individual. The psychiatric conditions were found to be 40% in Baltimore during the 2018 summers. The behavioral health crisis is also being linked with substance abuse. Thus, the heat, drug use, and disease can altogether exacerbate medical conditions like diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

In the parallel study, the researchers found the mentally ill patients need to be taken to the emergency behavioral health services for a proper evaluation. People with mental problems tend to find it difficult to get insurance and psychiatric treatment. The reason for them been pushed into emergency rooms is a shortage of doctors and beds. Thus, the medical board needs to start considering these issues on a prior basis so as to help the patient’s family deal with the expenses and patient’s health.