Healthline: Climate Change Is Affecting Mental Health — Here’s What You Can Do About It

"According to one report, 25 to 50 percent of people exposed to an extreme weather disaster are at risk of an adverse mental health effect. That same report adds that up to 54 percent of adults and 45 percent of children experience depression after a natural disaster.

Following natural disasters, psychologists have seen a rise in what they call distress reactions, which include things like:

• insomnia
• irritability
• increased substance use
• depression

While these reactions can fade and heal with time, that’s not always the case — especially if the people directly affected don’t seek help or cope with their trauma. In those cases, more severe mental health impacts might arise, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders.

The gradual effects

Because climate change is causing slow changes to our planet, we’re also starting to see those gradual impacts affecting mental health over time.

One 2020 studyTrusted Source links warming temperatures to an increased risk of death due to both unintentional and intentional injuries, including suicide.

Other 2017 research suggests a connection between extreme heat and an increase in irritability, aggressiveness, and even violence.

There also may be a correlation between anxiety, schizophrenia, and personality disorders and exposure to poor air quality, according to a large 2019 study of people in the United States and Denmark.

However, research is still ongoing to determine how, exactly, air pollution affects mental health conditions.

Simply watching the news or reading about climate change and natural disasters — or hearing from loved ones experiencing severe weather events — can have an impact on your mental health

In 2019, 66 percent of people surveyed by the Yale Program on Climate Change mentioned being at least somewhat worried about climate change — a 10 percent increase from 2014.

“There’s definitely evidence that even people who have not experienced direct impacts are beginning to experience anxiety,” says Clayton.

This issue of climate distress is particularly concerning when it comes to young people.

A 2018 studyTrusted Source suggests a link between climate change and an increased risk of children developing a range of mental health conditions, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and phobias.

“Our youth are already more emotionally vulnerable to news that is about things we cannot control,” Epel explains. “Anything that sounds apocalyptic, the younger the child is, the more vulnerable they are to feel distressed by it because they’re not emotionally equipped to handle the weightiness and the burden of the climate crisis.”

The effects of climate change are here to stay, and it’s likely things will get worse.

Consider September 2020, the hottest September on record (as of April 2021). Epel points out that, going forward, September 2020 might seem relatively cool as warm temperatures continue to break records.

So, we try to ignore it. We deny it until something forces us, once again, to confront it. And these reminders are getting more frequent and more urgent, from devastating wild fires to increasingly destructive hurricanes.

You may not be able to reverse the course of climate change, but you can take steps to protect your mental health.

Acknowledge your feelings

It’s OK to be anxious or afraid about how climate change might impact your life, your kids’ lives, or the planet as a whole. Don’t hide these feelings.

Instead, talk with friends and family. You may find that they share many of your same concerns, which can help you feel less alone.

Let your kids know it’s OK to talk about their feelings, too

News about climate change is hard to escape, so it’s important to let kids talk about what they hear and see.

Let them ask questions and answer honestly, but in a developmentally appropriate way.

Make a safety plan

Climate change can make you feel out of control. An effective way to regain some of that control is to make yourself — and your family — a little more resilient and prepared.

“You can try to get a sense of control by finding something that you can do, like getting go bags ready if you’re in a wildfire area so you can evacuate quickly,” Clayton says.

Get involved in your community

One older study conducted during hurricane season in Florida found that places where there was a strong sense of community saw less mental health distress after storms.

If you don’t feel a strong sense of community where you are, get involved with local groups or organizations, whether that’s a weekly workout group or a neighborhood buy-nothing group. Even something as simple as getting to know your neighbors can help.

Learn your triggers

“Worry is a habitual process,” says Michelle Newman, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Pennsylvania State University. “And if you’re a person that worries, you tend to look for things to worry about.”

She recommends learning to identify what triggers those worries.

Once you’re aware of what triggers you, you can cut off your anxiety when it’s not helpful by learning to avoid — or limit — your access to your triggers when you feel like it’s all becoming too much.

Give yourself breaks to avoid burnout

While it can be helpful to get involved in environmental causes because it gives you some agency in the face of a large threat, burnout doesn’t help anyone.

“Sometimes we all need to detach,” says Clayton. “That could mean taking a deep breath or finding things that physiologically calm you down, like taking walks, getting out into nature,” she adds.

Seek mental healthcare if you need it

If your climate distress or anxiety about the future is becoming so consuming that it’s interfering with your life, there’s help available.

You can always speak with your doctor, a mental health professional. or a therapist.

Read the full article here!

Reflection:

What would you recommend to help cope with the aftermath of Natural disasters?

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