Mental health effects of climate change

Padhy, Susanta Kumar; Sarkar, Sourav; Panigrahi, Mahima; Paul, Surender

doi:10.4103/0019-5278.156997

Cited by 141 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…It is estimated that around 60-80% of all suicide victims suffer from depression, while 15% of patients with severe depression eventually commit suicide [4]. The influence of environmental factors such as meteorological variables (air temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure) [5] is also proven, but little is known about the possible effects of air pollution on mental health. In our article we will briefly explain how air pollution impacts on nervous system, then we will present experimental, clinical and epidemiological studies related to an exposure to air pollution and its impact on depression and suicide.…”

Section: Air Pollution's Effect On Nervous Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of air pollution on depression and suicide

Gładka¹,

Rymaszewska²,

Zatoński³

2018

Int J Occup Med Environ Health

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Air pollution is one of the greatest public health threats worldwide. All substances appearing in excessive quantities in the atmosphere, such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides or sulphur oxides may be its ingredients. Depending on their size and nature, these compounds may cause greater risk of suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular diseases for exposed people as well as exacerbation and increased mortality due to these illnesses. Smaller particles may penetrate the brain's blood barrier and thus affect the central nervous system. In many studies, they have been shown to have negative effects on brain structure, like diminishing white matter or neuronal degeneration, leading to the earlier onset of Alzheimer or Parkinson disease. Nevertheless, there are reports of association of air pollution with mood disorders, depression, and even suicide. There are many risk factors for these conditions, most important of which are the social situation or chronic diseases. However, it has also been confirmed that the environment may affect mental health. This article will present experimental, clinical and epidemiological studies on exposure to air pollution and its impact on depressive disorders and suicide. Our goal is to determine the relationship between air pollution and incidence of depression and suicides. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(6):711 -721

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Section: Air Pollution's Effect On Nervous Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of air pollution on depression and suicide

Gładka¹,

Rymaszewska²,

Zatoński³

2018

Int J Occup Med Environ Health

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“…It has been shown to increase psychiatric hospitalization rates and prevalences of psychiatric disorders, predominantly depressive disorders, anxiety, insomnia and substance use disorders. [19][20][21][22][23][24] Mediated by elevated stress hormone release, excessive heat can also lead to more aggressive behaviors and higher crime rates. [25][26][27] As in other types of disasters, traumatic events caused by temperature related disasters may lead to adjustment disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder in both adults and children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature-related disasters in Europe – a cross-sectional analysis of the emergency events database from a pediatric perspective

Brennenstuhl

Will

Ries

et al. 2019

Preprint

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This study investigates patterns of extreme temperature-related events in Europe and its significance for the public health, with a focus on the vulnerable pediatric population. A generalized additive model of average surface temperature development for the European countries is described and discussed with an in-depth analysis of the influence of temperature on evolutional and behavioral aspects. Methods: Extreme temperature related events are recorded in the publicly available epidemiological database of Emergency Events (EM-DAT). A comparative and descriptive statistical analysis of this data was conducted with a focus on (prospective) records from 1988 onwards. Average surface temperature data was provided by the World Bank's Climate Change Knowledge Portal. The criteria for strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) were respected. Results: Within EM-DAT, extreme temperature-related disasters in Europe were categorized as either heat waves, drought, forest or land fires, or cold waves and severe winter conditions, accordingly. The most frequent type of event recorded were cold waves (36.2%). However, cold waves and severe winter conditions only accounted for about 6,460 casualties (4.4%), while heat waves were responsible for a total of 137,533 casualties (95.1%). During the prospective observational period of the EM-DAT database, heat waves in 2003, 2006, 2010, and 2015, claimed a total of 119,760 casualties. These most severe heatwaves were geographically distributed over Russia (2010), as well as France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, each in 2003. Accordingly, analysis of temperature data revealed an increasing average surface temperature for all assessed European countries, correlating with in an increasing frequency of extreme temperature-related events. Conclusion: This study shows that according to EM-DAT data extreme temperatures are an increasingly important public health threat to the European population as the average European surface temperatures are rising. Although cold waves are more frequently reported in EM-DAT, heat waves are the major cause for temperature-related casualties. Therefore, we conclude that evolutional and cultural resilience against cold and drought is significantly higher than it is against heat. Our results project that the frequency, duration and intensity of heat waves will further increase due to current climatic changes and become a more prevalent problem for future generations. Hence, we propose an emergency plan to inform the public and authorities about measurements to be taken in such extreme heat conditions to overcome the prevailing lack of information available to the public.

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“…There is strong evidence that high ambient temperature is associated with the suicide risk, and increased morbidity and mortality among people with known mental health problems [3]. Many studies have highlighted the close relationships existing between heat waves and mental disorders, such as psychological exhaustion, anxiety, mood disorders, and dementia, as well as the association of extreme heat exposures with aggressive behaviors [4]. Our understanding of the combined effects of heat and air pollution on mental health and suicide is still limited [5].…”

Section: Letter To the Editor (January 1 2019) Concerning The Paper mentioning

confidence: 99%