He climate change and the environmental situation that it generates, have consequences for life on the planet due to the scarcity of natural resources or the extinction of animal species.
This causes disorders in people’s health, for example at the respiratory level. But also, for some time now, more and more scientific evidence ensures that the consequences of global warming and pollution affect the mental health.
To the point that a recent study revealed that suicides increased by 5% worldwide due to the impact of climate change on an emotional level.
Along the same lines, a report from the Center for Nature and Climate of the World Economic Forumsaid that “increased temperatures as a result of climate change can have negative effects on mental health, such as low mood, while psychiatric disorders “They tend to increase during heat waves.”
He Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that there is a very high belief that climate change has negatively affected mental health.” “Given that mental health problems hold back millions of people every day, it is crucial that we understand how climate change can affect our mental health,” the experts highlighted.
And although the doctor in Psychology, master in Psychoanalysis and full member in didactic function of the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association (APA), Mabel Tripcevich Piovanohe acknowledged in dialogue with Infobae that “the issue of climate change is not a frequent topic on the agenda of Argentines, much less currently,” psychoanalysts suspected that it is producing effects on mental health.
In fact, a survey conducted by APA showed that the majority of people (95%) perceived they were currently living under the effects of climate change. “Unlike what could be inferred from global policies on prevention, which mostly take it as just another piece of information and do not seem to notice the seriousness of the issue, the population has more awareness of it and is beginning to become concerned, at least in the segment studied in the survey,” the expert analyzed.
Asked about this by this means, the doctor in Psychology, specialist in clinical, teaching and Research in Mindfulness-oriented Psychotherapy Mary Holmes (MP 20463) analyzed that “global warming affects mental health due to the combination of several factors.”
“The most frequent natural disasters and severe events, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and floods, can generate posttraumatic stress significant impact on the affected people,” the expert explained. Furthermore, environmental instability can cause anxiety and worry constant about the future, affecting people’s emotional and psychological well-being. “Uncertainty and the perception of constant threat to the living environment exacerbate chronic stress, which can lead to anxiety disorders and depression.”
Climate change is evident in extreme temperatures, floods, and when this happens—according to Tripcevich Piovano—“it translates into anxiety, instability and depressioneven if it manifests itself a priori in diffuse anxiety or in multideterminate symptoms”. “We all know something about the fact that in what we are perceiving, we are also doing something wrong,” he pointed out. But silence, the lack of awareness and adequate policies that should be in charge of the State, perpetuate the problem.”
And in that sense, he tried out an explanation about the mechanism by which climatic factors can affect people’s feelings in this way.
“In principle we tend to perceive ourselves in isolation from the planet. We do not perceive that we are part of a whole and the environment modifies our psyche, and we modify it. We psychoanalysts know that this dissociation has involved a loss, of which there is no conscious knowledge, but it is installed in the psyche and without pain,” he observed. If we add to that the responsibility not assumed for the negative changes we have made to the planet, prioritizing economic value over its care, or doing nothing to avoid it, this necessarily involves the feeling of unconscious guilt that is overwhelming and difficult to elaborate to provoke a change in action.”
The direct and indirect impacts of environmental changes on mental health are so worrying, particularly for young generations, that they led to new words or terms being coined as evidence of a time never before experienced by humanity.
Thus, the ecoanxietyunderstood as anxiety related to a changing and uncertain environment, and the ecological duelthat is, the pain of ecological loss, appear in the vocabulary of new generations.
For Holmes, the phenomenon lies “in the deep connection that younger people have with their natural environment.” “The ecoanxiety arises from concern and fear about the negative impacts of climate change and feeling of helplessness to mitigate them —said the specialist—. He ecological duelon the other hand, is related to pain and sadness over the loss of ecosystems, species and natural landscapes that are part of people’s identity and sense of place.”
—Is it possible, as the scientific review suggests, that the increase in temperatures caused suicide deaths to increase by 5%?
— Tripcevich Piovano: It is difficult to attribute the 5% increase in suicide deaths to a single factor, and the simultaneity of two events, by itself, does not confirm it, but as long as we admit the impact of climate change on the psyche, each of these cases should be investigated and do not rule it out a priori.
In fact, cardiologists reported increases in diseases in their specialty, including deaths from massive heart attacks in 2001, in Argentina. And excessive temperatures, for example, tend to decompensate many people. Likewise, losing everything in a flood requires psychic strength that not everyone has.
—Holmes: Rising temperatures can influence mental health in several ways. High temperatures can increase physical and emotional stress, affecting sleep and quality of life. He prolonged heat stress It can lead to mental exhaustion, and when combined with other vulnerability factors, such as financial or health problems, it can increase the risk of suicidal behavior.
Additionally, high temperatures can aggravate pre-existing mental health conditionssuch as depression, which could contribute to an increase in suicide rates.
What are the best strategies to take care of mental health in such a changing environment?
Beyond the strictly climatic, the current world at times becomes a place unstable to develop and live.
In that sense, Tripcevich Piovano stressed that, to begin with, “it is important above all raise awareness of the problemsince keeping it silent and worse, denying it, contributes to the feeling of orphanhood of the population, who continues to suffer the consequences of a very serious existing problem, but that the current silence does not allow the majority of people to metabolize, psychiatize and proceed accordingly.”
In turn, Holmes considered that “to care for mental health in a changing environment, it is important take a holistic approach that includes several strategies.”
Among those he recommended:
- Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness can help people stay in the present, reducing anxiety and improving overall well-being.
- Foster resilience. Developing skills to manage stress and adapt to change can strengthen mental health. This includes establishing healthy routines, maintaining a social support network, and seeking professional help when necessary.
- Promote connection with nature. Even in urban settings, finding ways to interact with nature can be therapeutic. Activities such as walking outdoors, gardening, or simply spending time in a park can reduce stress.
- Education and awareness. Educating yourself about climate change and its impacts, as well as engaging in community action to mitigate it, can empower people and reduce feelings of helplessness.
- Self-care. Prioritize self-care through regular exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and engaging in activities that bring joy and relaxation.
- Professional support. Seeking support from therapists and mental health professionals can be crucial for those experiencing high levels of anxiety or depression. Specific therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, may be effective in managing these feelings.
And he concluded: “Implementing these strategies can help mitigate the psychological impact of a constantly changing world, promoting more robust and resilient mental health”.