Abstract
Climate change has emerged as a significant issue of concern for the entire global community (Shukla, 2013). Indeed, the greatest challenges facing our global leaders, which have substantial implications for global public health, are to retain the global temperature from rising by 1.5˚C and to restore biodiversity loss (Atwoli et al., 2021).
Those who are most vulnerable (e.g., children, older adults, deprived communities, and those with pre-existing health conditions) are likely to be worse impacted by the climate crisis and extreme weather events (Atwoli et al., 2021). Moreover, those with poorer mental health are often most affected (Shukla, 2013), with existing mental health service provision under-resourced to respond to increased needs (GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2022). Given mental health conditions are one of the top ten leading causes of disease burden globally (GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2022), reducing the prevalence of mental ill-health is a significant public health priority (Chisholm et al., 2016; Trautman et al., 2016).
Exposure to extreme weather-related events (i.e., flooding, extreme cold or heat, air pollution) can lead to short and long-term adverse mental health outcomes through direct (e.g., post-traumatic stress) and indirect pathways (e.g., increases in alcohol consumption and drug abuse, and anxiety associated with climate change concerns) (Cianconi et al., 2020).
While the impact of days of extreme heat on physical health outcomes has been well documented, there is less good evidence about the impact of periods of extreme heat on mental health. Therefore, Nori-Sarma et al (2022) in the linked paper set out to explore the relationship between warm-season temperatures and rates of emergency department (ED) visits for a diverse range of mental health outcomes among adults living in the United States (US).
Those who are most vulnerable (e.g., children, older adults, deprived communities, and those with pre-existing health conditions) are likely to be worse impacted by the climate crisis and extreme weather events (Atwoli et al., 2021). Moreover, those with poorer mental health are often most affected (Shukla, 2013), with existing mental health service provision under-resourced to respond to increased needs (GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2022). Given mental health conditions are one of the top ten leading causes of disease burden globally (GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2022), reducing the prevalence of mental ill-health is a significant public health priority (Chisholm et al., 2016; Trautman et al., 2016).
Exposure to extreme weather-related events (i.e., flooding, extreme cold or heat, air pollution) can lead to short and long-term adverse mental health outcomes through direct (e.g., post-traumatic stress) and indirect pathways (e.g., increases in alcohol consumption and drug abuse, and anxiety associated with climate change concerns) (Cianconi et al., 2020).
While the impact of days of extreme heat on physical health outcomes has been well documented, there is less good evidence about the impact of periods of extreme heat on mental health. Therefore, Nori-Sarma et al (2022) in the linked paper set out to explore the relationship between warm-season temperatures and rates of emergency department (ED) visits for a diverse range of mental health outcomes among adults living in the United States (US).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | Blog |
| Media of output | Text |
| Publisher | The Mental Elf |
| Place of Publication | Online |
| Publication status | Published - 17 May 2022 |