Mental Health vs. Climate Change

The Numbers

→ 20-30% of people who have experienced hurricanes eventually develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that results in nightmares, flashbacks, and other symptoms after undergoing traumatic events.

→ Almost 60% of young adults in 10 countries feel highly nervous about climate change and its impending dangers and environmental damages.

→ Over 50% of people feel extremely negative emotions concerning climate change, including rage, weakness, and stress.

→ 51% of Americans feel worried because of the potential harmful impacts that climate change could have on younger and future generations.

The Why

Experiencing traumatic events incurred by global warming, including hurricanes, forest fires, and floods, often results in people developing mental health issues like depression and PTSD. Losses from climate change, such as losing a home because of damage from a tornado, boost the tension that deteriorates mental health. In addition to natural disasters, global warming can also increase people’s aggression, further damaging their and others’ mental wellness. For example, living in a warmer environment has been associated with higher alcohol consumption, visits to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms, and suicide occurrences.

Mental health damages from climate change can also result from many different types of events and in various intensities. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change categorizes mental health issues resulting from global warming into three tiers: direct, indirect, and vicarious. Direct risks include anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions caused by traumatic events like natural disasters. Indirect risks refer to substance abuse, stress, or potential suicide by people whose career or security is affected by the environment. Vicarious risks involve nervousness and fear as people learn more about the dangers of climate change, along with seeing how it harms others, especially loved ones.

The Societal Effect

Certain groups exhibit greater damage to their mental health, including people in poverty. Climate change clearly impacts the mental wellness of people across the world in general, but those experiencing mental health issues are more probable to be impoverished. In addition, people in poverty undergo substance abuse disorders more frequently, which increases the difficulty of coping with the mental illness to eventually alleviate it. Furthermore, people with lesser economic stability and wealth would be forced to use infrastructure and medical services of lower quality and more disruption during natural disasters. The greater occurrence of extreme weather events recently poses more risk to the livelihood of impoverished people.

The University of Bath in the United Kingdom surveyed more than 10,000 individuals of ages 16-25 across 10 countries to record their thoughts on the causes, effects, and overall impression of climate change. Several of the respondents expressed that they believe that their governments are being inactive in alleviating climate change and its damages. Almost two-thirds of the people across all nations surveyed opined that their political leaders were not properly combating climate change.

The Solution

For those dealing with mental illness as a result of global warming or even another reason, many resources can aid with improving one’s mental health. These include mental health charities, helplines, and much more. In addition, interacting more with friends and family, developing emergency kits and preparation plans, and actively working to end climate change can effectively decrease many of its mental health impacts.

Reducing the mental illnesses caused by climate change calls for removing the root of the consequence, which means resolving global warming. Achieving this cannot be completed by just one person, since a problem with such a wide scope requires many people and organizations to provide aid. Whether the people battling climate change include government agencies, non-profit organizations, industrial companies, or regular individuals, solving the problem requires as many people around the globe wholeheartedly supporting the fight against global warming.

Works Cited

American Psychological Association. “Urgent Need to Address Mental Health Effects of Climate Change, Says Report.” American Psychological Association, 4 Nov. 2021, https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/11/mental-health-effects-climate-change.

McKee, Justin. “Recent Research: Climate Change Can Worsen Mental Health and Well-Being.” WSLS 10, 25 May 2022, https://www.wsls.com/weather/2022/05/25/recent-research-climate-change-can-worsen-mental-health-and-well-being/.

Morganstein, Joshua C. “How Extreme Weather Events Affect Mental Health.” American Psychiatric Association, 2019, https://psychiatry.org/patients-families/climate-change-and-mental-health-connections/affects-on-mental-health.

Pruitt-Young, Sharon. “Young People Are Anxious about Climate Change and Say Governments Are Failing Them.” NPR, 14 Sept. 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/09/14/1037023551/climate-change-children-young-adults-anxious-worried-study.