The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health
Abstract:
Climate change is a growing global problem where weather patterns change and the Earth’s temperature continues to rise over time (NASA 2017). While the term “climate change” does include natural shifts in climate that have always occurred and can be predicted, the usual discussion of global warming and main reason for concern is human caused activity that is drastically altering the normal limits of rising temperatures. Climate change impacts all of society, but through direct and indirect exposure, some are more at risk for mental health related issues caused by the uncertainty and tragedies surrounding natural disasters. With the effects of climate change only worsening, examining what can be done to prevent and treat these issues is an important part of the fight against global warming.
The Connection Between Climate Change and Mental Health:
When you think about the impacts of climate change, mental health is probably not your first thought. While focusing on the mental health of individuals is not going to solve climate change, it is necessary as more adults and children are impacted by and fearful of dangerous weather conditions. For example, according to a report from the American Public Health Association, 54% of adults and 45% of children suffered from depression following a natural disaster (Yale Climate Connections 2020). With more frequent natural disasters occurring at higher magnitudes of strength, it can be predicted that these percentages will also rise. This chronic fear of human caused activity and future environmental destruction has even been made into a new term called “eco-anxiety” (American Psychological Association 2017).
Individuals at the Most Risk:
While everyone is at risk with natural disasters rarely sparing any, some individuals are especially at risk for developing climate related mental health issues (American Psychiatry Association 2019):
1. The highest risk individuals are people with previous mental health issues. They are not only more susceptible to developing future disorders, but there are also other factors related to their condition that could interfere with their safety during climate crises. Many medications prevent individuals from being able to regulate and sense changes in their body temperature, a dangerous side effect that can cause injury or death when paired with extreme heat. There is also a correlation between people with mental illnesses and a higher likelihood of living in poverty, where resources are even more scarce for support and where help centers are not quickly rebuilt or available in the aftermath of a disaster. Usually medication supply carriers or services like call lines are disrupted by natural disasters, and places in poverty with the most in need are usually rebuilt the slowest while those in need of immediate support suffer from the devastating change.
2. The second highest risk group is children as they are more stressed by rapid change than adults. After destructive events, children often deal with changes to their usual routine or separation from their parents if evacuated, which can cause anxiety and PTSD. However, children are usually the most resilient and are able to overcome most of their distress.
Direct and Indirect Exposure:
So far, the main focus has been on psychological responses from living through a climate disaster, which is known as direct exposure. This is the case where people can become stressed or anxious while dealing with destroyed homes, job losses, food scarcity, and/ or pollution impacting their own community (Harvard School of Public Health). The other type of cause is indirect exposure, where people can become anxious about the issue without experiencing a disaster themselves. This anxiety is equally as serious and can be triggered by anything -- from watching the news about the latest hurricane hitting Florida to reading statistics in the New York Times about carbon emissions. These cases can be short term or long term, and both need treatment as soon as possible.
Conclusion:
With the influx of news surrounding all aspects of climate change, it can be easy to fear the unknown and to worry about its impacts on us all, but there are certain actions that can always be taken. In your life everyday, if you or your friends and family members are struggling with the topic of climate change, acknowledge your feelings and try to talk with each other. Also, if it helps you, try to create an action plan for your family and community. Figure out where to go in a flood or fire, where you could evacuate to outside of your area, and get trained in first aid and CPR (Yale Climate Connections 2020). These small steps could save a life. Eco-anxiety is a real problem surrounding the climate crisis, and although we must work to reduce carbon emissions and find solutions for the rising temperatures, we must also raise awareness about the drastic impacts of climate change on mental health.
References:
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www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/climate-change-and-mental-health/.
Dunbar, Brian. “What Is Climate Change?” NASA, NASA, 13 May 2015, www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-climate-change-k4.ht ml.
Harrington, Samantha. “How Climate Change Affects Mental Health " Yale Climate Connections.” Yale Climate Connections, Yale, 1 Apr. 2021,
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