Integrate Climate Change into Mental Health Strategies, Urge WHO

The World Health Organization has warned that climate change is severely affecting mental health and psychosocial well-being, urging countries to bolster mental health systems and services to combat this growing crisis.

Climate Change: A Growing Mental Health Crisis

A recent report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) () revealed that rapidly increasing climate change leads to emotional distress, anxiety, depression, grief, and suicidal behaviour. Yet large gaps exist in mental health needs and the availability and accessibility and services to address them.

Health Effects of Global Warming
Greenhouse effect causes excessive heat to build up in the earth’s atmosphere causing global warming and affects the environment and health.

‘South-East Asia is the most vulnerable WHO region to #climatechange's impact on #mentalhealth, says WHO. Urgent action needed to strengthen mental health systems. #SEAsia #WHO’

“Climate change exacerbates many social, environmental, and economic risk factors for mental health and psychosocial well-being,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia.

“An estimated 260 million people live with a mental health condition and more than 200,000 people die by suicide every year,” she said, noting that climate change is worsening mental health.

It is also putting an extra burden on the health systems, Wazed said.

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“There is a large gap in both knowledge of and response to, climate change’s impact on mental health…There is an evident need to bring together climate and mental health officials from member states to ensure accelerated action to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts and prevent further widening of this gap,” Wazed added.

According to a 2021 WHO survey of 95 countries, just 9 had mental health and psychosocial support in their national health and climate change plans.

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To strengthen mental health systems, the Regional Director called for integrating climate change considerations into policies and programmes for mental health. Policies and programmes dealing with climate change and health must also include mental health.

Wazed also called for addressing the large gaps in funding both for mental health and for responding to the health impacts of climate change.