The link between climate and mental health may be stronger than we realized, new research finds, and that could be a growing problem in a time of global warming. What do you think?
Dear Hassan, I fully agree that the effects of climate change on human mental health are underestimated. See current papers:
Obradovich N, Migliorini R, Paulus MP, Rahwan I. Empirical evidence of mental health risks posed by climate change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018;115(43):10953-10958. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6205461/pdf/pnas.201801528.pdf
Hayes K, Poland B. Addressing mental health in a changing climate: Incorporating mental health indicators into climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018;15(9):E1806. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6164893/pdf/ijerph-15-01806.pdf
Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L. Climate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions. Int J Ment Health Syst 2018;12:28. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5984805/pdf/13033_2018_Article_210.pdf
Dear Hassan, I fully agree that the effects of climate change on human mental health are underestimated. See current papers:
Obradovich N, Migliorini R, Paulus MP, Rahwan I. Empirical evidence of mental health risks posed by climate change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018;115(43):10953-10958. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6205461/pdf/pnas.201801528.pdf
Hayes K, Poland B. Addressing mental health in a changing climate: Incorporating mental health indicators into climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018;15(9):E1806. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6164893/pdf/ijerph-15-01806.pdf
Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L. Climate change and mental health: risks, impacts and priority actions. Int J Ment Health Syst 2018;12:28. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5984805/pdf/13033_2018_Article_210.pdf
There is no doubt that global warming will have negative impact on physical and mental health. Rising anxiety levels and hopelessness can only contribute negatively to mental health. When people's basic needs (food, shelter, security) are threatened there will be anxiety and trauma.
Extreme temperatures may lead to mental health disorders such as stress, anxiety and depression. Moreover, rising temperatures can also disturb sleep patterns, worsen moods, and increase the risk of suicides. Kindly see the following RG links for more details.
Article Higher temperatures increase suicide rates in the United Sta...
Article Climate change and mental health: A causal pathways framework
Article The impact of climate change on mental health (but will ment...
Article The impact of climate change on youth depression and mental health