Weather shifts tied to mental health service demand in England

Short-term changes in weather may affect how often people seek urgent mental health support in England, according to research led by the University of East Anglia. The finding matters for NHS planning because the study links routine conditions, not only extreme events, with measurable shifts in demand.

The study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, examined more than 4.6 million mental health-related contacts with emergency departments, GP out-of-hours services and the NHS 111 telephone advice line. Researchers found higher use during hotter periods and on days with less sunshine, while rainfall showed no consistent link with service use.

UEA said the work is among the largest studies of its type. The team included researchers from UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences and Norwich Medical School, along with the UK Health Security Agency.

The researchers used national surveillance data collected by the UK Health Security Agency and weather information from the Met Office. The study period ran from January 2014 through December 2022.

Heat and low sunshine showed clearer patterns

The study assessed mean daily temperature, hours of full sunshine and total daily rainfall. Across the three services, mental health-related demand rose as temperatures increased up to about 18°C, or 64°F, according to the researchers.

Days with fewer hours of sunshine were also associated with higher demand, and UEA said that pattern was the clearest in the analysis. Rainfall, by contrast, was not consistently associated with mental health-related health care contacts.

The researchers also looked at specific mental health conditions. UEA said there was no clear overall association between sunshine hours and particular diagnoses, but fewer sunshine hours were linked with increased GP out-of-hours and emergency department contacts for anxiety and depression.

Age-related analysis found a different pattern among adults older than 64. For that group, emergency department attendances were higher during both colder and warmer conditions, according to UEA.

Study focused on unscheduled care

The health care contacts covered in the study included several types of mental health-related demand. NHS 111 calls were counted when they indicated issues such as deliberate self-harm, alcohol intoxication or sleep difficulties.

For GP out-of-hours care, the researchers included contacts related to anxiety, depression, self-harm or sleep difficulties. Emergency department attendances included anxiety, depression, self-harm and alcohol intoxication.

Dr. Richard Elson of UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences, the lead researcher, said the results indicate that everyday weather can influence mental health and the timing and route by which people seek help, not only heat waves or other extreme conditions.

Elson said understanding the factors behind fluctuations in mental health-related demand is a public health priority. He said the findings could support planning and preparedness for mental health services under current and future climate conditions.

UEA said previous research has connected weather conditions with adverse mental health outcomes, and concern about climate change has added interest in those links. The university said much of the existing evidence has focused on extreme weather, leaving less known about how ordinary daily weather relates to mental health-related health care use.

This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.