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Just a quick note, this episode briefly touches on the topic of suicide.

Take care while listening.

It's a sunny Thursday with an expected maximum of 40 degrees.

Extremely hot conditions over much of the continent in the coming week.

It's just expected to get even hotter.

The Bureau of Meteorology is set to be the hottest year on record,

and that's saying something.

With the warmest 10 years on record all happening since 2005.

And with the Bureau of Meteorology also declaring an El Nino in Australia, we're likely

in for a long, hot summer.

It's also prompted health warnings.

Now, a lot of the reporting on the health impacts of climate change and heat waves tends to focus

on physical health.

So people need to take care of themselves and stay hydrated.

But what about our mental health?

And I don't mean just in terms of the distress and grief we might feel watching our planet get hotter and hotter.

I'm talking about the more immediate effects on our emotions, our coping abilities, and our behavior.

For me, the hardest day in the emergency department is actually a hot windy day.

I'm really worried about what I'm going to see.

A growing body of evidence has shown very clearly that extreme heat presents a host of

challenges for those living with psychiatric conditions, but also for the mental health

...