Social Psychiatry, Vol. 51 No. 2, 2023.
Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2023.161
The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health
Lana Mužinić Marinić
; Department of Psychiatry, Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper highlights the notion that different emotional states can occur as reactions to climate change, ranging from
a sense of minor distress and anxiety to mental disorders pertaining to the group of stress-related disorders, anxiety
disorders, mood disorders and sleep disorders, all depending on the psychological resilience of individuals and the
supportive factors in their surroundings and the society. It is necessary to work towards developing resilience, protective
factors and mechanisms for coping with climate change at the individual as well as the community and societal levels.
It is of particular importance to build resilience in sensitive individuals and populations, and to ensure the availability of
adequate care and treatment with the help of the competent emergency services. The paper emphasises the importance
of stress reaction prevention and adaptation to the consequences of events resulting from climate change and the early
provision of psychological and psychiatric support to those in need.
Keywords
Climate; Mental Health; Mental disorders
Hrčak ID:
311612
URI
Publication date:
12.12.2023.
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