Climate change affects mental health as well. The belief that the future is uncertain can lead not only to eco-anxiety, but also to disorders that may affect future populations. The link between heat and well-being is clear across studies worldwide, which show that extreme heat and other climate-driven events such as floods, fires, and storms heighten the risk of mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
Over time, data has shown more emergency department visits for mental health concerns when temperatures spike, along with hospital admissions for serious psychiatric conditions. A growing body of evidence connects these two phenomena, suggesting shared pathways between heat exposure and mental health outcomes.
A notable study group traced this issue to regions with high exposure to heat and flooding. In a densely populated area with significant climate risks, a temperature rise of one degree Celsius has been linked to an increase in depression and anxiety by about 24 percent compared with global baselines.
The investigation looked at depression and anxiety rates globally, noting that the baseline prevalence of depression averages around 4.4 percent worldwide. In this area, rates were markedly higher, with depression around 16.3 percent and anxiety around 6 percent, nearly double the global averages.
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To reach these conclusions, researchers collected climate data from multiple weather stations across the region. They analyzed exposure to heat, humidity, and seasonal shifts, along with flood risk, to identify the most vulnerable locations. The findings clearly show that climate change harms public mental health in this region and beyond.
In addition to rising temperatures, higher humidity showed a strong association with increased depression and anxiety. Flood exposure also raised the likelihood of developing a mental health condition. Depression rose by about 31 percent, anxiety by 69 percent, and both disorders increased together by around 87 percent when multiple stressors occurred.
As climate pressures escalate, higher temperatures, greater humidity, and more frequent extreme weather events are expected to continue. The study team highlighted that these trends enable predictions about rising impacts on global collective mental health.
2 million people affected in the United States
The evidence linking mental health disorders and climate factors is not new. A long-running US study reported that a sustained period of elevated temperatures, close to 30°C, was associated with a larger number of people experiencing mental health problems. This points to a rising burden when heat persists over time.
The same research noted that the risk of developing mental health symptoms could increase by roughly 2 percent for each additional degree of warming, with effects emerging over five-year intervals. Natural disasters such as major storms were associated with shifts in mental health outcomes as well.
Such findings emphasize the value of early prevention and targeted interventions to reduce the mental health impact of heat and extreme weather on populations worldwide.
Reference work: Lancet Platform Health placeholder text for citation.
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