Mental Health and Our Changing Climate

Our climate is changing at an unprecedented and alarming rate with profound impacts on human life. This includes direct impacts on individual and community mental health stemming from both severe weather events and longer term climate change. 

​

Climate change-fueled disaster events impact mental health in the following ways:

• Individual Impacts including trauma and shock, PTSD, anxiety, depression that can lead to suicidal ideation and risky behavior, feelings of abandonment, and physical health impacts (such as digestive conditions and weakened immune system);

• Community-wide impacts including strains on social relationships, reduced social cohesion, interpersonal violence including domestic and child abuse, and increases in stress and PTSD amongst vulnerable populations.

​​

Longer term climate change can cause equally if not more significant mental health impacts:

• Individual Impacts

Heat can fuel mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, vascular dementia, use of emergency mental health services, suicide, interpersonal aggression, and violence. Additionally, some medications used to treat mental illness make people more susceptible to the effects of heat.​

 

Drought can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, uncertainty, shame, humiliation, and suicide, particularly amongst farmers. ​

 

Air pollution has been linked to increased anxiety and use of mental health services, lower happiness and life satisfaction, and other negative well-being impacts. ​

 

Changes in the local environment can cause grief, emotional pain, disorientation, and poor work performance as well as harm interpersonal relationships and self-esteem.

 

​Displacement from severe weather events can cause a range of negative mental health impacts due to loss of place, community, and livelihoods. The loss of personal identity, autonomy, control, and culture can lead to mental distress, insecurity, diminished self-worth, sadness, anxiety, depression, anger, and weakened social and community cohesion.​​

 

Ecoanxiety: concern about climate change coupled with worry about the future can lead to fear, anger, feelings of powerlessness, exhaustion, stress, and sadness, referred to as ecoanxiety and climate anxiety. Studies indicate this anxiety is more prevalent among young people and may be associated with increases in substance abuse and suicidal ideation.

​​

• Community Impacts

Warming climates can also lead to aggravated interpersonal aggression (such as domestic violence, assault, and rape) and interpersonal violence (murder). Heightened anxiety and uncertainty likewise negatively impact social relationships and attitudes toward other people. ​

 

Migration and competition for scarce resources can lead to intergroup hostility, aggression, violence (political conflict, war), and even terrorism. ​​