Summertime Sadness

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I have always been told that summer is supposedly the best time of year for mental health. The sun provides vitamin D, we spend more time outside, and hopefully we get some time away from everyday stress in the form of a vacation. However, for those with serious mental illness and you, the clinicians who treat them, there is no summer break. Research shows that stress hormones spike with the rise in temperatures.¹ Long summer days can disrupt melatonin and cortisol rhythms, causing a lack of sleep.² One case crossover study discovered that for every increase in temperature, mortality among individuals with mental disorders increased significantly compared with individuals without mental health disorders.³ So let’s beat the heat together.

In this issue, you will find updates on the perinatal mental health crisis, pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and more. In our Special Report, we cover the quandary of addiction in all its forms, from youth cannabis use to the dangers of excessive social media use—both pertinent this time of year. If there are any topics of interest to you, do not hesitate to share your thoughts with us at PTEditor@MMHGroup.com.

We at Psychiatric Times strive to be a consistent, helpful source, bringing you the latest updates and clinical pearls in psychiatry so that you can provide the best possible care to patients—even in the dog days of summer. 

Mike Hennessy Jr

President and CEO, MJH Life Sciences®

References

1. Brenner I, Shek PN, Zamecnik J, Shephard RJ. Stress hormones and the immunological responses to heat and exercise. Int J Sports Med. 1998;19(2):130-143.

2. Vondrasová D, Hájek I, Illnerová H. Exposure to long summer days affects the human melatonin and cortisol rhythms. Brain Res. 1997;759(1):166-170.

3. Stivanello E, Chierzi F, Marzaroli P, et al. Mental health disorders and summer temperature-related mortality: a case crossover study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(23):9122.