Climate change impacts global mental health

Climate change can have an adverse effect on global mental health, according to experts.

Dr Lisa Page and Dr Louise Howard from the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King's College London climate change have claimed these effects will be felt most by those with pre-existing serious mental illness.

However, there is a possibility of an increase in the overall burden of mental disorder worldwide.

Their study points at records linking natural disasters, associated to climate change, with adverse psychiatric outcomes, like post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and somatoform disorders.

The researchers further claimed as global temperatures increase, people with mental illness are witnessed to have been particularly vulnerable to heat-related death.

Other risk factors include psychotropic medication, pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease and substance misuse, which are all highly prevalent in people with serious mental illness.

The study noted that psychological distress, anxiety and traumatic stress resulting from emerging infectious disease outbreaks are also likely to increase if the predicted outbreaks of serious infectious diseases become reality.

The study published in Psychological Medicine online raises the need for the discussion, on the effects of climate change on mental health, at UN climate change conference in Copenhagen next week.