We are all familiar with the effects of climate change on our environment, but are you aware of the impact it has on our mental health? It's not something new, in fact a term has been created for one of its effects – 'Eco anxiety', refers to a fear of environmental damage or ecological disaster.
The term 'Eco-anxiety' is best exemplified in the event of a climate-related disaster. After the occurrence of a natural disaster, research has shown that around 55% of adults and 45% of children suffer from depression. This is caused by multiple factors such as the increased level of stress and anxiety due to sudden homelessness or loss of employment. In the case of floods where diseases such as malaria spread or strong earthquakes people may have to witness the loss of a loved one which can lead to depression or severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
With all being said there are much more damaging effects other than eco-anxiety. Some psychiatric medication prescribed to people living with an existing mental illness may interfere with the person’s ability to regulate heat and awareness that their body temperature is rising, which if goes unregulated for an extended period of time could lead to possible death. Farmers, especially, are prone to depression and/or attempts of suicide during times of prolonged droughts as they heavily depend on crops for financial stability and fall underneath the pressure to provide for their family in times when crops cant grow.
Bibliography
Harrington, S. (2020, February 4). How climate change affects mental health. Yale climate connections. https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/02/how-climate-change-affects-mental-health/
How Extreme Weather Events Affect Mental Health. (2017, March). American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/climate-change-and-mental-health-connections/affects-on-mental-health
Huizen, J. (2019, December 19). What to know about eco-anxiety. MedicalNewsToday. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327354
Mental health effects of climate change. (2015, January 19). US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4446935/
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