Climate+Change,+The+Next+Challenge+for+Public+Mental+Health?

Bourque, François and Ashlee Cunsolo Willox. "Climate Change: The Next Challenge for Public Mental Health?." //International Review of Psychiatry (Abingdon, England)//, vol. 26, no. 4, Aug. 2014, pp. 415-422. EBSCO//host//, doi:10.3109/09540261.2014.925851.

Climate change is being recognized as one of the greatest threats to human health in the 21st century. Its consequences include not only physical health but also mental health. However, there is a tendency that the mass media only focus on physical health impacts and set aside mental health impacts. Recent study claims that climate change and related environmental changes can significantly impact mental health, especially those who live in ecologically vulnerable areas. Even though it is difficult to draw a specific connection between climate change and mental health, many studies indicate that people could be affected by psychological distress, depression, or anxiety.

The research on the effect of climate change on human health will include both physical health and mental health. Even though it is a controversial argument, it seems to be included in the research, as many scholars maintain that there is a connection between climate change and mental health. The research will briefly introduce this argument, explaining the possible consequences concerning the mental health.