Climate change and mental health: why is it important and what are we doing about it?
18 October, 2017
In the summer of 2016 the RCPsych's Sustainability Committee met for the first time, and since then has been hard at work ensuring all parts of the College's work incorporate the key values of sustainability. Sustainability and psychiatry are linked in innumerable ways and each post on this blog will highlight this, using one aspect of our committee's work. With Ophelia, the tropical storm, expected to arrive in England this week, it feels very appropriate to invite Dr Lisa Page to comment on mental health and climate change, and the recent devastating extreme weather events:
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma will undoubtedly have had major impacts on the mental health of affected populations in Texas and the Caribbean this autumn. Indeed, an increase in the number and scale of natural disasters is just one way in which climate change
is likely to adversely affect global mental health in the decades ahead. Unfortunately, the latest IPCC report was unequivocal in its conclusion that we are already seeing more heat waves and flooding events as a result of climate change – this
is bad news for public mental health. For example, unduly hot weather leads to increased mortality and morbidity in psychiatric populations – an effect that is substantially greater than that seen in general populations - whilst in developed
countries at least, the main health effects of flooding are on peoples' mental rather than their physical health.
So, as psychiatrists we are right to be concerned about the impacts of climate change on public mental health. At College level, the recently established Sustainability Committee is drawing together research findings that outline the challenge to global mental health presented by climate change. Firstly, the Sustainability Committee aims to be a resource for interested College members wishing to understand more or educate others in this area. Secondly, the committee acts as a conduit into other campaigning health organisations interested in the links between climate change and health.
For example, have you noticed the high profile media coverage on air pollution and health over the past year? Or the subsequent policy announcements about the phasing out of coal fired energy by 2025; and diesel / petrol cars by 2040? We have the highly successful advocacy and lobbying work of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change to thank for much of this progress on air pollution policy - see the landmark ' A Breath of Fresh Air' if you are in any doubt. It seems there is mileage in the health community boldly setting out the links between adverse health outcomes and climate change, whilst also spelling out the co-benefits of action in a way that policy makers cannot ignore. The College is now an influential member of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, offering us an organisation a unique way of bringing important issues related to the environment and mental health to public attention.
Please do get in touch with us on the committee if you have evidence to add about the link between climate change and mental health, or if you want to discuss advocacy in this area."
Dr Lisa Page
Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,
Dr Katherine Kennet