How does climate change impact mental health?
Climate change is negatively affecting our mental health and emotional well-being. In the aftermath of extreme weather events, mental health problems can outnumber physical injury cases by 40 to one.1 Climate change is linked to a range of mental health problems, from stress and distress to severe mental illnesses.2
Climate change hazards can be sudden and severe, such as floods, hurricanes, wildfires and heat waves, or chronic and long-term, such as overall temperature increases, droughts and rising sea levels. Both first-hand experience of these hazards and their indirect effects (e.g., being forced to leave one’s home) can result in mental health problems. Learning about climate change hazards through media and other sources can also cause mental health problems. Both direct and indirect climate change–related mental health problems largely affects the most marginalized people in our societies.3
How do sudden and severe climate change hazards impact mental health?
Floods, hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves and other sudden and severe climate change hazards can lead to trauma and shock, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use. Such hazards can also result in suicidal thoughts, risky behaviours, violence, aggression and physical ailments. 4 The following studies show the mental health problems people experienced in the wake of sudden and severe climate change hazards:
- Twenty per cent of flood victims were diagnosed with depression, 28.3 per cent with anxiety and 36 per cent with PTSD.5
- One in six people developed PTSD after a hurricane in the area, while one in two developed an anxiety or mood disorder.6
- Thirty-three per cent of people exposed to California wildfires showed symptoms of major depression and 24 per cent showed symptoms of PTSD.7
- Heat waves worsen underlying mental illnesses and increase the risk of death. People with schizophrenia, substance use disorder or dementia are two to three times more likely to die during a heatwave than those without mental illness.8
Sudden and severe climate change hazards can also lead to a person having to leave their home and community, weakened social ties, aggression and violence, and civil conflict.9 These consequences can indirectly impact mental health. For example, a person who is forced to leave their home may feel a loss of identity, independence, control and culture, which can lead to mental distress, sadness, anger, anxiety and depression.10
Mental health problems resulting from sudden and severe climate change hazards can begin weeks, months or years after the event and last for several years.11
How do chronic and long-term climate change hazards impact mental health?
Rising temperatures, droughts and other chronic and long-term climate change hazards can directly and indirectly impact mental health. For example, rising temperatures are related to increased cases of mental illness and rates of suicide, as well as more aggressive and unlawful behaviours.12 People with pre-existing mental illnesses are particularly vulnerable to heat stress.13 Long-lasting droughts can lead to increased distress, anxiety and depression and are linked to more suicides in rural areas.14
Chronic and long-term climate change hazards can indirectly impact mental health in two ways:
- worsening physical health problems, such as respiratory illnesses, infectious diseases and malnutrition, leading to mental health problems.15
- community well-being is disrupted through economic losses, property damage, loss of income and employment opportunities, population relocation, social conflict and violence, which all have a significant negative impact on people’s mental health.16. Community disruption can also affect the mental health of future generations.17
What are the terms used to describe mental health problems related to climate change?
Mental health problems related to climate change and climate change awareness can be categorized into several subtypes. The main terms include:
- Solastalgia: Distress that comes from experiencing climate change in one’s home environment, including being forced to leave due to climate change hazards.23
- Eco-anxiety: Uneasiness, stress and severe worry about climate change.24
- Eco-grief: Grief linked to environmental loss and expected future losses related to climate change.25
- Eco-paralysis: Complex emotions connected with climate change awareness and feeling unable to prevent future hazards.26