NIJZ: We can slow down climate change with measures and thereby have a positive impact on mental health

Climate change affects the occurrence of mental health problems and disorders through hazards, disasters and global environmental threats and socio-economic changes related to climate change, like they are too extreme heat, floods, storms, sea level rise, wildfires and ocean pollution, it is stated by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

Two factors influence the vulnerability of people with mental health problems. First of all, these people find it more difficult to take care of themselves, some of the psychotropic drugs they take, well they lower the body’s physiological response to elevated external temperature by acting on thermoregulatory mechanisms and so on it is adaptation of the body to elevated external temperatures is limited.

Factors of vulnerability and inequality in the field of health, demographic factors, geographic factors, socio-economic and socio-political factors further strengthen the impacts. They appear or enhance well also various conditions or effects on mental health, like are stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal behavior and strained relationships in society.

Emotional or living hardships

A newer word is also emerging in connection with climate change solastalgia, which describes a form of emotional or living distress caused by a change in the environment that is no longer similar to the home that the inhabitants knew. It refers to lived experience, fear of the future and thus fear of climate change, which will affect the quality of our lives.

NIJZ warns that it is the extent to which climate change will continue depends on us, we can mitigate the changes with measures, like it is reducing emissions of climate change agents, and adapting with measures, like are appropriate behavior, protection against infectious diseases, insulation of living spaces and flood protection.