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Global climate change and mental health
Lawrence A Palinkas1, Marleen Wong1
1Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, United States.
Current Opinion in Psychology
|July 27, 2019
Summary
Global climate change significantly impacts mental health through acute events, long-term environmental shifts, and existential threats. These effects range from direct heat stress to indirect consequences like displacement and conflict.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Psychology
- Climate Science
Background:
- Existing research confirms climate change affects mental health.
- However, the full spectrum of these impacts remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and categorize the diverse mental health impacts of global climate change.
- To examine impacts across acute, subacute/long-term, and existential climate-related events.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of empirical studies and systematic reviews.
- Categorization of climate-related events into three types: acute, subacute/long-term, and existential.
- Analysis of both direct and indirect mental health consequences.
Main Results:
- Acute events (e.g., hurricanes, wildfires) cause immediate psychological distress.
- Subacute/long-term changes (e.g., drought, heat stress) lead to chronic mental health issues.
- Existential threats (e.g., rising sea levels, uninhabitable environments) generate profound anxiety and grief.
- Indirect impacts include economic loss, migration, conflict, and environmental alienation.
Conclusions:
- Climate change poses a wide-ranging and severe threat to global mental health.
- Understanding these multifaceted impacts is crucial for developing effective adaptation and mitigation strategies.
- Interdisciplinary approaches are needed to address the complex psychological toll of climate change.
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