Heat can exacerbate mental health problems, but it is also a social and political issue.
Against the backdrop of persistent heatwaves and new temperature records, Julia Reiter, Senior Scientist and Coordinator of the Health in Society Research Network, appeared as a guest on the ORF programme Guten Morgen Österreich on 5 August.
She spoke about how frightening it is to be unable to escape the heat, how medication changes its effect in high temperatures, and why the pressure to perform is particularly stressful in the heat. She also pointed out that people in physically demanding jobs often live in particularly hot homes and in neighbourhoods without access to green spaces. There is a clear social divide in terms of whether and how people can protect themselves from the heat.
Julia Reiter’s message: As a society, we must take the heat seriously, lower our performance expectations and implement concrete protective measures.
Watch two videos of Julia speaking on the TV programme to learn more: