Climate change also affects mental health. Believing that there is no future anymore is not only eco-anxiety or suffering, but also the mental disorders that future populations will face. relationship with heat. This is reflected in various studies conducted in different parts of the world that conclude that intense heat, as well as other extreme events from global warming, such as floods, fires, hurricanes and hurricanes, increase the risk of suffering. various mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.
For years, there has been evidence of increased visits to the ED for mental health problems when there are sharp rises in temperature, and the same happens with hospital admissions of patients diagnosed with severe psychiatric mental health problems. More and more evidence is accumulating about the possible relationship between both phenomena.
It was last defined by a research team from University College London and the journal. Lancet, people who study this phenomenon in Bangladesh, the seventh most vulnerable country in the world to climate change. There, a one degree increase in temperatures has already increased the risk of depression and anxiety by 24% compared to the rest of the world.
Researchers became interested in studying Bangladesh because of its high rates of depression.. On average across the planet, the usual rate for depression is 4.4%, but in this Asian country these rates rise to 16.3%. The same is happening with anxiety levels, which reach 6% in Bangladesh and nearly double that in the rest of the world (3.6%).
To arrive at this conclusion, the team of scientists measured climate variables at up to 43 weather stations spread across Bangladesh. What they were looking for was to identify the most exposed and flooded locations, as well as seasonal changes in temperature and humidity. The results showed, however, a fact that can already be seen: the effects of climate change are detrimental to the health of the people of Bengal.
In addition to the link between rising temperatures and mental health, the team also found a strong correlation between humidity in the air and these rates of depression and anxiety. Also, exposure to flooding increased the chances of developing a mental health problem. Depression increased by 31%, anxiety by 69%, and both disorders increased by 87% at the same time.
“As climate change worsens, temperatures and humidity and natural disasters such as extreme flooding will continue to increase,” said Syed Shabab Wahid, lead author of the study and professor at the University of California’s Georgetown School of Health. Therefore, he emphasizes, “these results allow us to predict the increasing impact on our collective mental health worldwide.”
2 million people affected in the USA
However, this is not the first time that a direct link between mental disorders and climate change has been found. One of the studies with the most consistent results also comes from the United States. After interviewing a few participants, their results showed that the average monthly temperature of 25°C-30°C was raised above an average of 30°C over a 30-day period. An increase in the two million people affected by mental health problems in the United States.
The same study revealed that: Probability of developing mental health problems increased by 2% for each degree of warming will take place every five years. Exposure to a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina was associated with a 4% increase in mental health problems.
According to the authors, these studies may serve to provide early prevention and reduce the impact of heat and extreme events on the mental health of the world’s population in the near future.
Reference work: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00315-1/fulltext#seccestitle70
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