It used to be “global warming.” Now it’s “climate change.” I’m not a climatologist or a politician, so I don’t really care about all that business. I mean, the whole idea of how ozone affects ocean currents, which somehow causes asthma, is just not something I’m all that interested in. As a psychologist, what I care about is your mental health. And I just learned climate change is not only melting the ice caps, causing heat waves, and creating natural disasters, it’s also potentially affecting your mental health. Here are the 5 things you need to know.
1. Certain people are more vulnerable to how climate change impacts mental health. These include children, the elderly, women (especially during pregnancy and the postpartum period), those living in low-income communities, racial minorities, immigrants, those with disabilities, those with preexisting medical or mental health conditions, those whose jobs make them particularly susceptible (I’m talking to construction workers and other folks working in the heat), and those with close ties to the land (farmers, tribal communities).
“Between 25% and 50% of natural disaster victims experience adverse mental health effects.”
2. Climate change is making global temperatures a smidge hotter. There’s a link between rising temperatures, aggression, and violent suicides (especially among men and the elderly). Also, people tend to use more emergency mental health services and tend to be admitted to the hospital for mental health conditions more when it’s hotter, especially for depression, bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation, and acute psychosis. Plus, this is interesting: Certain psychiatric medications (actually, almost all psych meds) make people even more sensitive to heat because they affect the area of the brain that regulates our body temperature and they affect overall hydration. More heat sensitivity means greater psychological distress and higher risk for heat stroke, heat exhaustion, decreased motivation, and reduced productivity, which all can lead to poor mental health.
3. More heat means more droughts. Droughts are associated with impaired mental health, stress, and more farmer suicides. As food and other goods become more expensive, the general economy deteriorates, which is associated with depression, distress, helplessness, and demoralization. Plus, more expensive food leads to malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies, which are associated with depression and cognitive decline.
4. Climate change is also provoking natural disasters, like floods and hurricanes. Between 25% and 50% of natural disaster victims experience adverse mental health effects, especially if the traumatic event was really bad, if someone witnessed a loved one’s death or injury, or if a person has an unstable family or very little support. When people lose their homes, environments, social structures, and loved ones in natural disasters, they can experience depression or bereavement. Natural disasters also increase rates of various physical health conditions, which of course worsen psychological distress, which then worsens physical health (and so on). This includes the spread of certain diseases, like West Nile virus (which is associated with depression and personality changes) and Lyme disease (which is associated with changes in emotions, behavior, thinking, and perception). Plus, natural disasters increase the spread of illnesses like Salmonella in food and water. The combination of infectious diseases plus exacerbations in illnesses that are already common (like more asthma or allergies from pollution) plus nutritional deficiencies plus injuries in natural disasters creates stress, which increases risk for mental health conditions.
5. Finally, with rising sea levels, droughts, and natural disasters, climate change is already requiring population migrations. This creates competition for limited resources and results in stress associated with adapting to a new culture. In addition, migration for this purpose results in loss of the feeling of connectedness we have to our home environment, which can create hopelessness, anger, sadness, and distress.
It’s a lot to think about, right? Here’s the good news. The amazing treatments we already have for mental health conditions are the same treatments that work for mental health problems that might be caused or exacerbated by climate change. So, if you’re one of those most at risk for climate-change-related mental health problems, keep working with your prescriber and find yourself an amazing therapist or psychologist who challenges you in a safe way to continue to work toward your recovery goals.
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Hayden C. Finch, PhD, is a practicing psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, focused on helping you Master Your Mental Health.
