Many have heard of eco-anxiety, which has immense potential to shape views of society and the future. It can manifest in intense feelings of anger, burnout, despair, and hopelessness. However, the mental health implications of climate change go beyond eco-anxiety.
A recent study carried out by researchers, including leading expert Paolo Cianconi, found that climate change has an impact on a large part of the population in different geographical areas and presents various types of threats to public health.
The connection between a changing climate and our well-being was also recognised in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2023 report. It shared that there is very high confidence that rising temperatures will cause mental health hazards. Millions of people worldwide are already experiencing mental health difficulties, and understanding how a warming climate fits into this picture is essential for enhancing mental well-being.
The climate crisis is bringing about more extreme and frequent weather events, and individuals are living through these events. Those navigating the likes of floods and storms are being exposed to potentially traumatic events where they may witness serious injuries or, even worse, death. They may even have to relocate their homes due to irrevocable damage.
The World Health Organization has emphasised the likelihood of individuals experiencing higher levels of psychological stress and developing more serious mental health problems that require extensive treatment due to these events. Mental health problems that are likely to develop from these events include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders, and depression.
The side effects of increasing heat
It has been reported that higher temperatures caused by climate change are causing an influx in hospitalisations for emergency psychiatric visits and psychiatric disorders. Moreover, rates of suicides have been revealed to be higher throughout heatwaves. Although we do not have a good understanding of what exactly links heat to poor mental well-being, one hypothesis is that higher temperatures can worsen mood.
Exposure to frequent extreme heat can leave people feeling more irritable and stressed, therefore contributing to symptoms of mental health disorders. Heat has also been found to disrupt sleep, and sleep plays an essential role in good health and well-being. One large study examined ten billion sleep observations and discovered that warming nights erode human sleep worldwide.
Air quality as a silent threat
In addition, climate change and increasing temperatures have also been revealed to increase levels of pollutants and allergens present in the air. This worsens our air quality, and emerging evidence suggests this also has a significant impact on our mental health, particularly intensifying disorders like anxiety and depression.
A study assessed this by looking at people aged over 65 who were enrolled in Medicare in the US. It found that short-term exposure to pollutants is linked to a higher risk of acute hospital admission for psychiatric disorders.
Likewise, higher levels of air pollution have been connected with increased mental health service use among individuals living with mood or psychotic disorders in the UK. Exposure to air pollution throughout adolescence and childhood has also been found to be associated with the development of mental health issues as youths transition into adulthood.
It was proposed that this is because air pollution interferes with the central nervous system's ability to develop normally. Climate change has also been found to be a significant factor in the emergence of infectious diseases in new parts of the world, including dengue, zika and malaria. The abundance, reproduction, distribution, and survival of vectors, hosts, and pathogens can be affected by the changes associated with worldwide heating.
The mental adaptation journey
It’s apparent mental and physical health are intrinsically intertwined. Being exposed to higher rates of infectious diseases can have major detrimental impacts on mental health due to living with or being hospitalised with long-term consequences of severe infection. Individuals living with certain conditions, like neglected tropical diseases, can also face discrimination and stigmatisation.
With all this in mind, how can we mentally adapt to the environmental emergency? Experts propose that mental health systems should be a fully integrated part of any climate adaptation and disaster response plans. They have also recommended that people take action collectively, citing research that engaging in climate action collectively significantly reduces the association between depressive symptoms and climate anxiety.
Another body of research has suggested the following specific priority adaptation mechanisms to be considered to support population-level mental health in a warming climate:
- Policy responses: improving access and funding to mental health care;
- Surveillance and monitoring: administering epidemiological surveys after extreme weather events, and monitoring emergency department visits during heat waves and following extreme weather events;
- Practice: the application of a stepped-care approach to mental health that is often used in disaster mental health to support different levels of interventions depending on the timing of the disaster and the level of distress;
- Preparation and response: climate change adaptation/resilience planning in the mental health system;
- Community-based interventions: climate change resilience plans that address psychosocial wellbeing; and,
- Special training for care providers and first responders: e.g. psychological first aid.
Furthermore, it recognises that global commitments like the SDGs, the Paris Accord, and the Sendai Framework are required to help improve global mental health and climate action. However, coordination among these commitments is necessary if the issue of mental health and climate change is to be holistically and efficiently addressed.
The mental health implications of climate change represent an additional, often overlooked burden that must be taken very seriously. While the physical and economic impacts of the climate crisis have been widely recognised, its toll on mental well-being is equally pressing. It’s clear there’s an urgent need to integrate mental health into climate adaptation strategies and disaster response plans to foster community-based resilience and mitigate the psychological impacts of the climate crisis.
///
Written by Bronagh Loughlin, journalist
This article was brought to you thanks to our collaboration with Purpose Content Studio and the Climate Journal online magazine. Click here to read more articles like this!