CLIMATE CHANGE AS AN EMERGING DETERMINANT OF MENTAL HEALTH: EVIDENCE, CHALLENGES, AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Mental health is substantially impacted by climate change, which has immediate, indirect, and long-term effects. The present data on the connection between exposures associated with climate change and psychological consequences are compiled in this review. Heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and droughts are examples of extreme weather phenomena that are regularly linked to higher risks of depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse, and suicide. Increased psychiatric hospital admissions and exacerbation of pre-existing mental problems are also associated with rising temperatures and extended exposure to heat. Psychological suffering is worsened by indirect pathways. Food insecurity brought on by climate change, livelihood disruption, forced migration, and social instability all raise stress levels and impair coping skills, especially in low-resource and climate-vulnerable environments. Beyond trauma associated with disasters, recent findings reveal persistent and anticipatory stressors, including climate-related worry and ecological grief that are more frequently reported in children and young adults. The effect of climate crises on mental health is unevenly distributed. Particularly vulnerable are women, low-income groups, rural areas, displaced people, and those with a history of mental illness. However, psychological outcomes can be mitigated by resilience characteristics like social cohesiveness, adaptive infrastructure, community-based treatments, and climate-informed mental health services. Despite growing research, there are still significant gaps, such as the lack of long-term studies and the under-representation of low- and middle-income nations. To address the increasing psychological effects of climate change, multidisciplinary research must be strengthened, and mental health must be incorporated into programs for adaptation and mitigation.