THE MENTAL HEALTH BURDEN OF GLOBAL WARMING, PREVENTION AND ADAPTATION

Abstract

Introduction. Mental health conditions can affect all aspects of life. Given that the impacts of global warming will become more severe, there is a clear need for a proactive approach to improving mental health provision and building resilience in the health system. Professionals stress the urgent need to understand the impact of global warming on people with neurological conditions in order to preserve their health and prevent worsening inequalities.

Material and methods. A secondary type study was carried out, a narrative synthesis of 20 scientific sources from international databases that address mental health issues influenced/aggravated by global warming and the methods, measures for prevention of aggravations, complications, adaptation of the body to the effects extreme weather conditions. Studies were identified using search terms related to global warming, mental health, neurological diseases, prevention and adaptation measures, and the hot topic. The reference period was 2018-2024.

Results. The incidence, hospitalizations, and mortality risk for many mental health disorders are associated with increased ambient temperature, daily temperature fluctuations, or extreme hot and cold temperatures. Mental health outcomes include depression, anxiety and extreme emotions such as sadness, anger and fear.

Susceptibility to high temperatures is aggravated by frailty, multimorbidity and psychotropic drugs.

The researchers note that as adverse weather events increase in severity and global temperatures increase, populations are exposed to worsening environmental factors that may not have been severe enough to affect brain conditions in some of the earlier studies. As a result, they say it's important to make sure research is up-to-date and considers not only the current state of climate change, but also the future.

Several studies have linked global warming to psychological distress, worsening mental health and higher mortality among people with pre-existing mental health conditions, increased psychiatric hospitalizations and increased suicide rates.

It is important to convey messages to scientific communities, people, and health care providers to exchange resources along with educational interventions to combat these problems.

Conclusions. It is necessary to support political decision-makers to develop policies for mitigation and adaptation of the human body, but also to highlight appropriate practices for informing the community, so that implementation takes place without delay.