Are climate change and mental health correlated?

Abstract

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time and is likely to affect human beings in substantial ways. Recently, researchers started paying more attention to the changes in climate and their subsequent impact on the social, environmental and economic determinants of health, and the role they play in causing or exacerbating mental health problems. The effects of climate change-related events on mental well-being could be classified into direct and indirect effects. The direct effects of climate change mostly occur after acute weather events and include post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, substance abuse disorder, depression and even suicidal ideation. The indirect effects include economic losses, displacement and forced migration, competition over scarce resources and collective violence. The risk factors for developing those mental health issues include young age, female gender, low socioeconomic status, loss or injury of a loved one, being a member of immigrant groups or indigenous people, pre-existing mental illness and inadequate social support. However, in some individuals, especially those undisturbed by any directly observable effects of climate change, abstract awareness and acknowledgement of the ongoing climate crisis can induce negative emotions that can be intense enough to cause mental health illness. Coping strategies should be provided to the affected communities to protect their mental health from collapse in the face of climate disasters. Awareness of the mental health impacts of climate change should be raised, especially in the high-risk groups. Social and global attention to the climate crisis and its detrimental effects on mental health are crucial.This paper was written with the aim of trying to understand the currently, scientifically proven impact of climate change-related disasters on mental health and understanding the different methods of solving the problem at the corporate level, by trying to decrease greenhouse gas emissions to zero, and at the individual level by learning how to cope with the impacts of those disasters.

Eco‐anxiety in youth: An integrative literature review

“…Eco‐anxiety definitions vary according to the lens used by authors; predominant biomedical views of eco‐anxiety focus on the potential symptoms of panic attacks, insomnia, obsessive thinking (Hickman 2020; The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 2021; Wu et al . 2020), depression (Hickman 2020; Sciberras & Fernando 2021); and the possibility of developing mental illness (Ramadan & Ataallah 2021; The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 2021; Wu et al . 2020).…”

“…The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 2021; Wu et al 2020), depression (Hickman 2020;Sciberras & Fernando 2021); and the possibility of developing mental illness (Ramadan & Ataallah 2021;The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 2021;Wu et al 2020). Some authors explicitly or implicitly consider that ecoanxiety can be generally described as distressing feelings because of overall awareness of climate change (Benoit et al 2021;Godden et al 2021;Reyes et al 2021;Sternudd 2020;Strife 2011).…”

Decoding psychosis: from national genome project to national brain project

“…A few months later, the National Institute of Health (NIH) BRAIN Initiative released the detailed plan for BRAIN 2.0, which aims to transform neuroscience by focusing on neural circuit exploration and manipulation 1. As the world’s present turbulence—regional conflicts,2 COVID-19,3 climate change4 and modern indulgence5—have exacerbated the emergence of mental disorders, achievements from these brain projects will hopefully enlighten our understanding of mental disorders and offer guidance for new prevention and treatment measures.…”

Mental health, mobility and climate change: a scoping review protocol v1

“…It leads to the rise of a new field that explores combination of scientific data about mental health in relation to climate change. Multiples studies have been conducted in biomedicine and social sciences fields (5,6). Mental health appears to be linked to climate change in two causal pathways.…”

“…Direct effects could be caused by acute weather events (post-trauma, stress disorder, anxiety, depression, even suicidal ideation). Likewise, indirect effects could be caused by the impacts of climate and environmental changes on the economy, migration, and social structures (6).…”