The subject also resonates after the tragedy that occurred on June 25, 2026 at Val-de-Fontenay station, in Val-de-Marne, where two people died after the suicidal gesture of a man having hit a woman present on the platform, according to Le Parisien. There is nothing to link this drama to the heat. But it reminds us how acting out occurs in complex situations, often at the crossroads of psychological suffering, a moment of rupture and an aggravating context.
Heatwave and suicide, an observed correlation but to be handled with caution
The heatwave is not limited to discomfort, sleepless nights and heatstroke. In certain weakened people, it can accentuate anxiety, irritability and impulsivity, to the point of making certain actions more likely.
Asked by Ali Rebeihi about a possible increase in the incidence of suicides with each additional degree during extreme heatwave days, Professor Antoine Pelissolo, psychiatrist and head of the department at the psychiatric center of the Albert-Chenevier hospital in Créteil, attached to the Henri-Mondor University Hospital, responds bluntly: “Absolutely.”
The psychiatrist specifies that these data are not observed “live”, but through global analyses. He mentions a French study which showed a correlation between temperature and number of suicides: “It’s roughly in this order: one degree more, one or a little more percent of suicides“.
This idea is consistent with the work of Inserm, which analyzed all deaths occurring in France over 49 years. Among the major causes studied, suicide stands out: its mortality increases regularly with temperature, and the strongest association appears with the temperature on the day of death.
Why extreme heat can weaken mental health
Heat rarely acts alone. It adds to fatigue, lack of sleep, isolation, family tensions, pain, anxiety disorders or an already present psychiatric illness. In some people, this accumulation can reduce the ability to delay, ask for help or put a dark thought at bay.
Professor Antoine Pelissolo insists on this accumulation of factors: “Obviously, this is the consequence of many factors, in particular linked to the increase in irritability, impulsivity, certainly violence too, because we also see more violent acts during these periods..
He adds that these effects can be “impacted” with greater suffering, anxiety or the decompensation of a psychiatric illness. Suicide, he recalls, results from several factors that add up. It is precisely for this reason that statistics must never be isolated: they describe a collective risk, not an individual mechanism.
In case of suicidal thoughts, help is available immediately
If you have suicidal thoughts, or if you are worried about a loved one, call 3114, the national suicide prevention number, free and accessible 24/7, throughout France. In case of immediate danger, call 15 or 112, or go to the nearest emergency room.
During a heatwave, certain signs should prompt you to act quickly: talk of despair, sudden withdrawal, unusual agitation, intense anxiety, increased consumption of alcohol or medications, the feeling that a person “can’t hold on anymore.” In these moments, being alone with the situation can waste precious time: calling, telling a loved one, contacting a doctor or seeking help can change the outcome.