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The Intersection of Climate Change and Mental Health: Understanding the Complexities

Authors: Olamide Omigbile;

The Intersection of Climate Change and Mental Health: Understanding the Complexities

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly recognised as a significant global health threat with profound implications for mental health and psychosocial well-being. This paper examines the complex and multidimensional relationship between climate change and mental health, drawing on emerging evidence from global studies, policy reports, and interdisciplinary research. It highlights how both acute climate-related events such as floods, wildfires, heatwaves, and storms and slowonset environmental changes, including drought, desertification, and sea-level rise, contribute to a wide spectrum of mental health outcomes. These range from clinically diagnosed conditions such as anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to emerging constructs such as eco-anxiety and solastalgia, which capture the emotional and existential distress associated with environmental degradation and uncertain futures. The paper further explores the key pathways through which climate change affects mental health, including direct exposure to disasters, indirect socioeconomic disruptions such as displacement and livelihood loss, and anticipatory stress linked to perceived future risks.Particular attention is given to populations that are disproportionately affected, including children and youth, low-income communities, Indigenous populations, and frontline workers, who often face heightened exposure and limited adaptive capacity. Evidence reviewed in this study consistently demonstrates elevated levels of psychological distress among these groups, underscoring the inequitable burden of climate-related mental health impacts. In addition, the paper synthesises current evidence on interventions and policy responses, emphasising the importance of integrating mental health into climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and health system strengthening. Community-based approaches, social support mechanisms, and climate-resilient health systems are identified as critical components for mitigating adverse mental health outcomes. However, significant research gaps remain, including limited longitudinal data, lack of standardised measurement tools, and insufficient evidence from low- and middle-income countries.

Keywords

Climate Change and Mental Health., Climate Change and Mental Health

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green