More supports needed to protect people with schizophrenia from extreme heat, experts say - CBC News [2023-06-24]

British Columbia’s 2021 heat dome killed people diagnosed with schizophrenia at a higher rate than those with any other chronic illness, according to recent findings from researchers at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).

As extreme heat events are forecasted to become more common and intense, researchers and one advocate are calling for more public awareness and cooling centres for vulnerable people, including those with schizophrenia.

During the heat dome’s hottest eight days in B.C., 134 people diagnosed with schizophrenia died, triple the average numbers of deaths during the same period from 2006 to 2020, found a peer-reviewed article published in journal GeoHealth in March.

That represents about eight per cent of all deaths recorded during the extreme heat event, while people with schizophrenia make up only about one per cent of the population, said a June opinion article published in the B.C. Medical Journal.