Extreme Weather-Related Events: Implications for Mental Health and Well-Being

The Emotional Toll of Climate Change on Science Professionals

“…TRAUMA & SHOCK Disasters carry the potential for immediate and severe psychological trauma from personal injury, injury or death of a loved one, damage to or loss of personal property (e.g., home and pets), and disruption in or loss of livelihood (Neria & Shultz, 2012;Terpstra, 2011;Simpson, Weissbecker, & Sephton, 2011).…”

“…interviewees in a study by Carroll, Morbey, Balogh, and Araoz (2009) noted that they were still experiencing panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, low motivation, and obsessive behavior. Persistent distress and anxiety may be especially prevalent in children and youth (Simpson, Weissbecker, & Sephton, 2011). In a study of young people in a drought-affected area, Carnie, Berry, Blinkhorn, and Hart (2011) found that young people felt high levels of distress and reported being concerned about their families, overwhelmed, isolated, and worried about the future.…”

“…Natural disasters can lead to structural or technological crises such as power and communications outages, breakdown in water, sewer, and other infrastructure, or urban fires. These follow-on breakdowns exacerbate the trauma and distress the disaster has already caused (Simpson, Weissbecker, & Sephton, 2011). During post-disaster recovery, some people report an additional stress burden from dealing with paperwork and negotiations with insurance companies or building contractors to arrange for damaged homes and property to be repaired or replaced (Carroll, Morbey, Balogh, & Araoz, 2009).…”

“…For example, Stain et al (2011) found that people living in a droughtaffected area who had also recently experienced some other adverse life event were more likely to express a high degree of worry about the ongoing drought conditions. Several studies have found that many victims of a flood disaster express psychological distress even years following the flood (Simpson, Weissbecker, & Sephton, 2011;Crabtree, 2012;Alderman, Turner, & Tong, 2012).…”

“…High levels of distress and anxiety also appear to be linked to physical health effects. For example, chronic distress results in a lowered immune system response and greater risk of a number of physical ailments (Alderman, Turner, & Tong, 2012;Simpson, Weissbecker, & Sephton, 2011).…”