‘Living a nightmare’: Mental health toll of climate change

While much research has been done on the impact of climate change on our environment, health, economy and social lives, not much attention has been paid to its impact on our mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has frequently confirmed the importance of supporting mental health systems to cope with the impact of climate change on people’s lives. 

Reham Khalil, an Egyptian psychologist, told Jusoor Post that climate change already has a great impact on our mental health. “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a very common and well- known disorder linked to the weather and the beginning of the seasons. SAD had been proved ages ago, before the world witnessed climate change. People who experience SAD face symptoms that vary from low energy, appetite changes and sleeping disorders to feeling guilt, shame, worthless and wanting to die,” she confirmed.

“Just as climate change is real, its impact on our mental health and well being is real too,” Khalil said, adding, “On a weekly basis, we see on the news the damage, displacement and loss of lives, homes and jobs that result from extreme weather events. Those people who witness these tragedies are likely to face depression, anxiety and most seriously severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

Extreme weather and PTSD

Judy Durrell, a 60- year-old Australian woman, told Jusoor Post how she was affected by the severe storm in Australia in June 2017. “It was the type of disaster few people could ever really prepare for. Trees and even homes were taken away. The electricity, phone signals and internet were gone. I was alone at home. I felt isolated; I was very terrified. Months after the storm, I felt very unwell remembering every detail and recalling the same emotions. I was living a nightmare. So, I asked for psychological help. My psychiatrist found I suffered from PTSD, and I’m still on therapy until now,” she said.

“PTSD related to climate change can happen even to people who don’t live the events themselves. Sensitive people who watch these kinds of events and get overwhelmed by the human tragedies are most likely to have anxiety and PTSD,” Khalil said, adding, “After the recent Turkey-Syria earthquake, clinics in Egypt received many anxiety and PTSD cases who felt life is not safe anymore. Furthermore, at that time, we dealt with many traumatized people from wars, revolutions and displacement who were triggered by watching the earthquake videos and following its consequences.”

A Syrian boy who lost his family and also wounded in the deadly Turkey- Syria earthquake looks sadly at the ruins of the city/ AFP

Action needed now 

A Stanford University study led by economist Marshall Burke found that up to 21,000 additional suicides will occur by 2050 within the United States and Mexico if climate change continues to increase global warming. This serious impact would worsen the already challenging status of mental health care globally if action is not taken. 

A 2021 WHO survey of 95 countries found only nine countries that merge mental health support with their climate action plans. Some countries took serious actions to help people deal with their climate-linked mental disorders. 

Philippines pioneering experience  

The Philippines has inspiring experiences in improving its mental health support system after natural disaster. In 2013, the Philippines faced Typhoon Haiyan, which caused the death of more than 6,000 people and the displacement of thousands more.

people mourn the victims of Typhoon Haiyan/ AFP

According to a study published by Cambridge University in December 2022, titled “Climate change and mental health in the Philippines in 2013”, the Philippines had only ten psychiatrists, while WHO estimated that over 800,000 people in the affected region were suffering from different mental health conditions caused by Typhoon Haiyan. With the help of the regional government at that time, WHO established a mental health support system where mental healthcare is present at the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels, the study reported.