4.5 Review

Climate Change and Mental Health: A Review of Empirical Evidence, Mechanisms and Implications

Journal

ATMOSPHERE
Volume 13, Issue 12, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/atmos13122096

Keywords

climate change; mental health; global warming; suicide; PTSD; depression

Funding

  1. National Institutes of Health [R25-ES021649]
  2. University of Pennsylvania Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology [P30-ES013508]
  3. National Institutes of Health [R01HD087485]

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This integrative review examines the implications of climate change on mental health and suggests potential mechanisms. Empirical evidence shows a link between climate change and negative mental health outcomes, such as increased rates of psychiatric diagnoses and higher measures of suicide, aggression, and crime. Potential mechanisms include neuroinflammatory responses, maladaptive serotonergic receptors, and detrimental effects on physical health and community wellbeing. Further research is needed to understand the exact pathways and mechanisms of the interaction between climate change and mental health.
Anthropogenic climate change is an existential threat whose influences continue to increase in severity. It is pivotal to understand the implications of climate change and their effects on mental health. This integrative review aims to summarize the relevant evidence examining the harm climate change may have on mental health, suggest potential mechanisms and discuss implications. Empirical evidence has begun to indicate that negative mental health outcomes are a relevant and notable consequence of climate change. Specifically, these negative outcomes range from increased rates of psychiatric diagnoses such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder to higher measures of suicide, aggression and crime. Potential mechanisms are thought to include neuroinflammatory responses to stress, maladaptive serotonergic receptors and detrimental effects on one's own physical health, as well as the community wellbeing. While climate change and mental health are salient areas of research, the evidence examining an association is limited. Therefore, further work should be conducted to delineate exact pathways of action to explain the mediators and mechanisms of the interaction between climate change and mental health.

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