NPR

How High Heat Can Impact Mental Health

A new NPR probe found low-income areas in dozens of major U.S. cities are more likely to be hotter than wealthier ones, and people with severe mental illness are impacted by that increase in heat.

Jeanetta Churchill is blasting the air conditioning in her Baltimore row house. A massive heat wave just swept through the city, with temperatures topping 100 degrees. "I don't even want to see what my power bill is this coming month," she says.

Keeping cool in the summer months isn't just a matter of comfort, says Churchill. It helps her manage the symptoms of her bipolar disorder. Churchill says if she

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